Harry Potter and the Lord of Sevii
by Mr. Chaos
Summary: Book 3 of the Harry Potter Pokemon Master series. When Harry came to Avalon he learned how his parents were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black died bringing vengeance upon the traitor. But now there is a dark conspiracy creeping around him; one that might involve those he has come to trust. The answers to what truly happened to his parents lies with The Lord of Sevii.
1. Predators

Harry pulled at his shirt, trying to get some air to circulate around his chest. Even though the sun had set hours ago it still felt as if he were in a sauna. Sweat was dripping down his brow and his hair felt as if he had just gotten out of the shower. The thin dark gray t-shirt he wore clung to his back like a wet rag and it felt as if he were swimming in his shoes.

'How can Avalon be so cold in the winter and so humid in the summer?' he thought to himself.

His muscles screamed, begging him to just move but he forced himself to remain crouched behind the thorny bush he'd selected for his hiding spot. All around him the sounds of the forest played like an organic symphony; hoots, cries, the creaking of branches and the pitter-patter of pebbles tumbling down the low hills.

Glancing towards the branches to his right Harry could see Eevee standing straight and alter, his eyes seeming to glow in the shadows he tread in. The little brown Pokémon wiggled his behind before leaping to another branch. The moment he landed Eevee looked about monitoring to see if his actions had caused any change. Seeing that there were none, Eevee settled back down on the branch, continuing his silent watch. There was something out there, something that grabbed Eevee's attention, but whatever it was it refused to make itself visible.

Harry fought hard against his first instinct. He so badly wanted to lock eyes with Eevee and just ask him what he saw. He forced his eyes towards the ground, not wanting to even give himself an opening. After the events of the Chamber Remus had put his foot down when it came to Speaking. Harry had nearly given himself a brain aneurism using the ability on Zygarde and Poppy had told him that he'd have recovered much sooner if he hadn't been suffering from bloodloss. After learning that Remus had told Harry on no uncertain terms that Speaking was off the table. Remus felt that it was simply too risky for Harry to attempt the lost art again… not without guidance.

"_I'm not saying you can't ever use it again,"_ Remus had told him. Harry had been fighting him on it, claiming that abandoning his budding Speaking powers was denying him a tool to use against those seeking to harm him. _"But you can't do it again without proper training."_

"_I'm learning how to use it, Remus!"_

"_On your own, Harry." _His guardian had sighed, tugging on the end of his mustache. _"You know that Sirius, your father and I," _Remus refused to name the last Marauder, "_learned to become Pokemagnuses on our own. What you don't know is… is how close that came to killing us." _Harry had just stared at Remus, unsure what to say to that. _"We were trying to master something that men and women twice our age have difficulties doing. You have no idea the risks involved in becoming a Pokemagnus… you could lose yourself to the transformation and go feral, you could scramble your brain, you could end up swapping minds with you Pokémon… we were lucky we survived._

"_Now, what you are doing is a hundred times worse. You are attempting to master an art all by yourself, with no help and no one to keep an eye out for you and pull you out of a tailspin when you get in too deep. There are no guide books or programs to help you. Speaking isn't called the 'Lost Art' because it sounds cool and the only ones to have mastered it have a habit of killing people they don't like. I've been subtle about it, making casual comments and overtures, but that takes time. I just can't march up to the Kenway brothers and ask if you can get a quick lesson."_

Harry had finally relented, agreeing that he would not attempt to Speak again unless his life were in danger or he had been properly trained. He still occasionally snuck in a quick chance to talk to his Pokémon but for the most part he'd been true to his word.

Harry slowly reached up and itched his forehead, right below the brim of his cap. The tension of the hunt was getting to him. He was use to being the prey, fleeing first from Dudley, then from the other houses during a Gauntlet match. To actively be the predator, seeking out a nervous target, was completely different from anything he'd ever done before. The adrenaline rush was there, as were the nerves, but they were flooding his body in different ways and left the young teen feeling anxious.

A twig snapped to his left and it took every ounce of self-control he possessed to not whip his head around. Instead, Harry merely waiting, his tongue darting out to remoisten his lips. Seconds seemed to last for hours until finally the chubby Bidoof waddled out from a shrub and entered the small clearing Harry was hunting in. The boy sighed, eyes shut. Bidoof was a common Pokémon and Harry had no desire to catch one. Remus had given him strict orders to only catch one Pokémon and Harry wanted to make his choice count. The rumors of specially colored Pokémon being spotted in the woods of northern Avalon filled his head and Harry did not want to waste a chance at grabbing one. The list time he'd had an opportunity to get a rare Pokémon he'd snagged Emolga, and while it had worked out in the end, what with him trading it to Ron in an exchange that got him Dobby, Harry didn't want to push his luck this time. Eevee saw that Harry was standing down and settled himself in the branches of the tree. Harry occupied himself with watching Bidoof toddle about, occasionally pawing at the ground and digging up a nut that was added to the many that were stuffed already in his cheeks.

"OooooOOOoooooOOOO!"

His eyes darted skyward, a flash of white against the dark sky catching his attention. Eevee saw it too, his little body scrunching up as he attempted to become as small and invisible as possible. He forced himself to remain still as the white shape swooped back overhead, circling the clearing before finally diving down. Bidoof let out a cry of surprise as the white avian struck him, sending the mouse Pokémon tumbling end of end until he finally crashed against a tree. He slowly got up, eyes swirling in a daze. Harry, however, paid little attention to the Bidoof, as his focus was now entirely on the new arrival.

'A Hoothoot,' Harry thought to himself. It wasn't just any Hoothoot either. While almost all night flying Pokémon were brown with cream bellies this one was pure white with a few black feathers adorning her back. She hopped up and down on her one foot and Harry dimly remembered reading that Hoothoots always used one taloned foot for resting and the other for attacking. No one was quite sure why they did this, as there were no visible differences between the clawed appendages, but it was a trait all Hoothoots shared, including the albino one before him.

Though he couldn't 'Speak' to Eevee, Harry wasn't without ways of communicating with his Pokémon. He quickly raised his right hand and flashed three fingers. Eevee nodded and leapt from the tree, his little paws stretched out. The Hoothoot only had time to turn his head before Eevee struck, crashing into the white bird and sending it rolling across the clearing. The Hoothoot leapt forward the moment he came to a stop, tugging his perching leg into his feathery body and extending his attack talons. Eevee cried out as he was hit, the wounds beading with little droplets of blood.

"Eevee, Sand Attack!" Harry shouted, leaping from his hiding spot. Eevee nodded and twisted around, his back legs scraping at the forest floor and sending up a plume of grit. Hoothoot instantly began to flap about, shaking her head back and forth in an attempt to get the sand out of her burning eyes. The albino Pokemon went into a dive, only for Eevee to manage to get out of the way. "Quick Attack!"

"Eevee!" Harry's Pokémon rushed forward, his head lowered as he darted between the trees. Hoothoot tried to fly out of his path but Eevee was too fast and with a solid 'thwack!' the brown and tan Pokemon struck the flying 'mon. Eevee smiled at that, only for his eyes to become heavy as the Hoothoot looked upon him.

"Look away!" Harry called out but he realized quickly that it was too late; the Hoothoot's Hypnosis attack had Eevee fully enthralled and within 20 seconds Harry's first Pokemon was lying on the ground, snoozing away without a care in the world. "Eevee, Return!" Harry held out Eevee's Pokéball and the moment he had his friend back he pulled out a different one. "I'm not giving up that easy! Togetic, I choose you!"

"Tic tic!" the Fairy/Flying type declared, her little wings flapping as she hovered in the air. The Hoothoot was surprised by this new arrival and blinked, studying her carefully.

"Togetic, use Ember," Harry called out. The little girl smiled and fired off the fiery attack, striking the startled Hoothoot and sending her crashing back to the ground. Harry didn't get a chance to celebrate though, as Hoothoot was already back up and launching a Confusion attack right at her opponent. Togetic was struck dead on and tumbled through the air for several seconds before coming to a stop, her head held in her hands as she fought off the effects of the strike. But if Hoothoot expected the former Togepi to give in she was sadly mistaken. Togetic narrowed her eyes, a very determined look flashing across her features.

"Alright, we finish this now!" Harry declared, throwing out his hand. He and Togetic had been practicing this new move and Harry thought it was about time to try it. "Togetic, use Thunderbolt!" The sky crackled with energy and the albino Pokémon looked up in time to see the bolt of electricity race right down towards her. The Hoothoot cried out in pain as she was hit, her body hitting the forest floor and bouncing several times before she came to a stop, her wings twitching slightly. Harry could see the tale-tell energy sparking from her body and knew she was paralyzed. Harry grabbed an empty pokéball from his pocket and threw it right at the downed Hoothoot.

The albino avian was instantly sucked into the ball but, to Harry's surprise, the Pokéball trembled slightly before fall to the ground. He watched, mystified, as the ball shook only one time before clicking shut, signaling that he'd caught the flyer.

"Tic, tic!" Togetic exclaimed in glee, grabbing the Pokéball. She dropped it in Harry's hand before flying up and hugging his head.

"Yeah, you did a good job," Harry said, pulling out another Pokéball. "Dobby!"

'Harry Potter call for Dobby?' the Alakazam mentally said happily. Harry was always amazed to look upon Dobby and remember how different he had looked when they'd first met. It wasn't just the fact that he evolved; there was a shift in how Dobby held himself, with pride and importance rather than the cowering fear that had dominated him when he'd belonged to Lucius Malfoy. Harry and Remus had been working with Dobby all that summer, helping him recover from the malnutrition and abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his former trainer. Harry had felt it his duty, remembering how he'd been like Dobby himself when he had first come to Avalon and it was only with the help of his friends that he'd managed to overcome the pains of his childhood.

Harry mentally sighed when he thought of one of his friends. While he'd kept in contact with Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna he hadn't spoken or written to Hermione since he'd last seen her at Hogwarts. The long summer holiday away from her had helped lessen the pain of her betrayal but Harry still found himself reluctant to forgive her for her actions. Remus had stated that Harry was no longer angry with Hermione but was now wary of her. He'd said that because her last major action towards him had been taking his Pokémon and Harry had avoided her after that, she hadn't been given the chance to redeem herself and work towards earning his forgiveness. Much like Dumbledore, Remus had pressed Harry to try and at the very least give Hermione a chance to earn his friendship back.

_"Do you know how much I wish I could see Sriius or your mom and dad again?"_ Remus had asked him once when they had spoken of lost friends. _"You don't want to wait too long only to find that you lost your chance and Hermione is out of your life forever."_

_"What if she isn't like them?" _Harry had asked. He hadn't dared say the next words but Remus had known what Harry meant.

_"Hermione isn't Peter Petrigrew," Remus_ had said coolly, dropping the subject.

'Good Master Harry Potter?" Dobby mental sent again.

"Sorry Dobby," Harry said with a smile. "I was distracted."

'Great Harry Potter thinking of his Grangy.'

"She isn't 'my Grangy', Dobby. She's just Hermione." Dobby looked at him, it clear he didn't believe Harry. Togetic, for her part, merely smiled; sometimes Harry hated it that his Pokémon were so smart. "Dobby, I am done with the hunt. Can you see if Remus is done?"

Dobby shut his eyes and focused for a moment, mentally calling out to Remus' Reuniclus. 'Nice Remus Lupin is done, Good Harry Potter.'

"Teleport us there," Harry said, bracing himself for the dizziness that teleportation always brought him. He was getting use to it each day, now that he had a Pokémon who could do it, but it still left him spinning. Togetic clung to his head as they reappeared in the Pokécenter, her little eyes spinning round and round. "T-thanks Dobby," Harry said, reclaiming the Alakazam.

"Any luck, Harry?" Remus asked, walking over and steadying the boy. Remus' Zorua, Mooney, let out a yip and happily trotted around Harry's ankles.

"You first," Harry said with a smile. He walked over to the nurses' station and, after recalling Togetic, handed all his Pokeballs over to the Nurse Joy that was on duty.

"Fair enough," Remus said, lifting up his arm. Harry couldn't help but laugh as he watched a Spinarak quickly scurry along Remus' shoulder and along his arm before finally lowering himself via a silken thread attacked to the man's wrist. Harry couldn't help but think of a yoyo when watched the little spider bounce up and down on his thread. "Definitely some kind of new pigmentation in this area." Remus flicked his wrist and Spinarak scurried back up the thread and clung to Remus' arm; the gym evaluator raised his arm up so Harry could see Spinarak's back clearly. "On most Spinaraks the shell has a design meant to mimic, for lack of a better word, a frowny face. This little guy must have decided that wasn't very cheery." Harry could clearly see that; the playful Spinark had a happy smiley face adorning his shell. "Definitely very interesting."

"That it is," Harry said, accepting his Pokémon back from Nurse Joy. "But I'm afraid I've got you beat." Harry tossed one of his Pokeballs in the air. There was the familiar crack and flash of red light before his newly acquired Hoothoot shot through the air, looking about before spotting Harry. The owl-Pokémon flew over to Harry and landed on his shoulder. Harry made a mental note to buy some of the shoulder and arm guards he'd seen Oliver Wood add to his trainer jacket after catching his own bird Pokémon, so that Hoothoot wouldn't tear his clothing to shreds.

"An albino!" Remus exclaimed.

"Oh my!" Nurse Joy said in surprise. "You truly are blessed, sir."

Harry glanced over at her and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know about that... I mean, it was lucky for me to catch her-"

"Harry, you don't understand," Remus said with a wide smile. "A Hoothoot is a rather popular Pokémon in Avalon but an ALBINO one? That kind is honored."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, reaching up to scratch Hoothoot under her chin.

It was Nurse Joy who answered. "It is said the Morgan le Fay owned an albino Hoothoot... in fact, it is said that it was that Pokemon's evolved form that flew her across the sea to Avalon, so she could seek out Merlin and test her might against him."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise. "I've never heard that."

Remus sighed sadly. "Yes you have. You just don't remember. The story of Morgan and Hedwig is told to all children in Avalon. I know for a fact your father read it to you when you were a baby."

"ooooOOOOooooO! the Hoothoot cried out, flapping her wings.

"What is it?" Harry asked, running his hand along her feathery tummy, the melancholy thoughts about his father leaving him as he focused on his newest Pokémon. "Do you like that name?"

"OoooooOOO!"

Harry glanced at Remus who merely shrugged. "Nothing says you can't use the name."

Harry nodded. "Alright then... I guess from now on your name is Hedwig." The snowy-white cried out in agreement and laughed.

~Meanwhile, in Little Surrey...~

CRACK!

Jack was slouched in the recliner, his long legs stretched out before him. He didn't bother to look up, his focus entirely on his worn and beaten copy of 'Fellowship of the Ring'. Beside him, a bone-thin woman was shivering with fright, her eyes wide with fear as she watched the dark strange who'd invaded her home along with Kenway beat her husband Vernon with a firepoker. She herself already had a nasty bruise forming on her check from where she'd been backhanded after trying to attack the dark stranger and her son Dudley, who in her mind was the most perfect boy in the entire world, was passed out on the floor. He'd given in to his fright early on and now lay sprawled on the living room rug.

CRACK!

Vernon howled and Petunia Dursley cringed, knowing that the stranger, who was dressed in a long black jacket and wore a skull-like mask over his face, had managed to break something with that last hit. He was a vision of death and left Petunia shivering: dressed in a black suit with gray vest and a long black leather coat and that horrid bone-white skull mask that hid his face completely.

"Why are you doing this?" Petunia asked Jack softly, her eyes never leaving the vicious scene before her. The dark figure had burst into their house in the middle of the night, a dog that looked like it had been spit out from the fires of hell at his side, and silently gone about his rampage. He'd stomped about the house, ripping open doors and ransacking drawers and even the cupboard under the stairs. When Vernon had stormed towards him, his trusty shotgun in his meaty hands, the hellhound had sunk his fangs into his wrist and brought him to his knees. The skull-masked man had then grabbed a fire poker while his companion had quietly entered with a stout, armored creature following him. This man, just as tall as the dark stranger but with blond hair and a scruffy jacket, had politely informed Petunia that his name was Jack before taking a seat in Vernon's armchair and pulling out a book to read while his partner beat Vernon.

CRACK!

"I like to read," Jack said calmly, turning a page. "Keeps me mind sharp. Plus this is a bit of a tradition for me; I try to read the entire saga once every two years or so."

Petunia looked at him and sputtered, "N-no! Why are you attacking us!?"

"Have I laid a hand on you?" Jack asked in mock confusion. "I have been rather polite." He winced as his partner struck Vernon's fat rear with the fire poker, making Petunia's beloved husband squeal like a piglet. "I suppose you mean him though? Well, Sirius here has anger issues."

"And that... and that gives him the right to attack another human being?" Petunia raged, her shrill voice growing louder. The dark figure, Sirius apparently, whipped around and glared at her and Petunia found her knees knocking together in fright.

"Well, that is your first mistake," Jack said with a sigh, marking his place in the book and tucking it into the inner pocket of his jacket. "Sirius doesn't think like a person... not when it comes to his 'pup'. A result of spending as much time with his Houndour Padfoot, I suppose. Admittedly, they haven't seen much of each other... not since that night 12 years ago, but their bond is still strong. As for me?" Jack turned and Petunia felt her stomach drop. While nothing changed about Jack physically she suddenly had the terrible feeling that she was looking into the eyes of a great beast... an apex predator… and he was measuring her up to see if she would be a tasty meal. "Well... I'm not exactly human anymore." He gave her a feral grin and Petunia hands began to flutter about like doves. "Sirius?"

"What?" the Lord of Sevii barked.

Jack nodded towards Vernon. "I think you've done enough damage for now."

"Not ever enough," Sirius snarled. "You read Jonas' reports! You know what they bastards did to my godson! Damn it, Jack, you saw that cupboard... that was his room for nearly a decade!"

"I know, Sirius," Jack said calmly. "Why don't you put that poker down and we can have a long talk about proper child-rearing methods."

"They stole him from me and abused him... hurt him... made him feel unloved..." Sirius let out a howl of despair and struck Vernon three more times with the fire poker. Jack was on his feet when Sirius went to deliver the fourth blow, this time to Vernon's head. The Father of Johto's hand gripped Sirius' wrist so tight that he was forced to release his weapon.

"You know I have no problem with violence," Jack said sternly. "But you aren't me. You're upset and angry and I get that and in your position, if it had been my child, I would have slit all three of their throats and burned this damn house to the ground. Hell, I might have just blown this damn island into a crater, international laws be damned!" Petunia began to sob at that but Jack and Sirius ignored her. "But you can't do that... you won't do that. You're better than this, Sirius... You have to be better than this, for Harry." the Lord of Sevii looked away, shame suddenly filling him as he looked at Petunia's frightened face and Vernon's broken form. All the hatred that had kept him going since walking in the Dursley's house and seeing the evidence in their abuse of his godson draining from him. "We came here for a reason... and you'll do Harry no good turning this fat bastard into a fine paste. That's my way... not yours. And you need to be better and stronger than me here. For Harry's sake."

That was it. The key to breaking through Sirius anger and despair. He nodded, eyes shutting for only a moment before they opened again and he gave Jack a nod. The Father of Johto released his friend's wrist and stepped back, letting Sirius advance towards Petunia.

"I want to kill you," Sirius snapped. "You have no idea how tempting that is. But it won't do me any good... not when I need answers."

"What... what do you want?" Petunia whispered.

"I know someone came to you after you were awarded custody of Harry. I know that someone convinced you to lie to the wardens of Sevii, to tell them that Harry was dead and that it was my fault. The same person who bribed the leaders of this island to do the same. Don't deny it... my guards enjoyed playing your taped interview for me over and over. They liked watching me cry, thinking my godson was dead." Sirius leaned forward, his skull mask pressed against Petunia's forehead. "Who did it? Who told you to lie... who got you to help them steal six years of my life!?"

"I... I don't know!" Petunia wailed.

"Liar!" Sirius snapped.

Petunia looked at Jack who merely tilted his head. "Don't look to me to be my hero, lass. I'll keep him from killing you… but no one said your life had to be comfortable."

Sirius grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "WHO?!"

"I don't know, I swear!" Sirius pushed his head against hers, forcing her to sit deeper in her chair. "He... he never gave his name! I never saw his face! He was in all black, wore a dark cloak…" Sirius snorted, his breath coming out in hot bursts. "He was from Avalon... he had one of those damn Pokémon with him!"

"Which one?" Sirius growled. When Petunia remained silent he slammed his hands down on the armrests of the chair. "WHICH ONE?"

"A rat!" Petunia shouted, her eyes squeezed shut. "It was a giant rat!" She panted, her breath ragged and her chest swelling in and out so rapidly it was a wonder her ribs didn't crack and break under the constant change in pressure. After nearly a minute she finally managed to open her eyes.

The intruders were gone.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: First off, welcome to Book 3! Things are definitely going to be fun with this story and I hope that you guys are ready for a fun ride! Once more I will go about blending two worlds together to create a new, daring world that echoes events you know and love and presents you with new twists you never saw coming.

Second, let's give a big hello to Hedwig! You have no idea how much I waffled on introducing her when I first began scripting out this series. At one point she was Harry's first Pokémon (before I decided that was too on the nose) then I was actually going to make Togetic Hedwig. When id di decide to have her appear I debated which book to let her make her entrance but finally decided to have her appear here so we could open the story with a fun battle/capture.

Now, onto the events of Little Surrey. Half of you are probably cheering over Sirius beating Vernon and the other half are scared that I've ruined Sirius and made him into a violent monster. I defense for this was that I wanted to show Sirius' passion and how at times he reacts based on his heart, not his head. He went to prison for six years and was told Harry had died because of him. Even after Jack made him the Lord of Sevii Sirius has lived with that guilt. Now, he finds out Harry is alive and there was a conspiracy to keep the two of them apart... a lot of rage and anger that Sirius kept locked inside just bubbled up and here we saw it get released.

Don't' worry though... the fun loving, prankster Sirius WILL be seen in this story... we just had to get that emotional outburst out of the way.

For those wanting to keep track, Harry has the following Pokémon: Eevee, Togetic, Ludwig the Litwick, Dobby the Alakazam, Zygarde (Kept with Remus until Harry is old enough to use him), and now Hedwig the Hoothoot. Remus has Mooney the Zorua, a Magcargo, a Reuniclus, and now a Spinarak. Sirius has Padfoot the Houndour, an Empoleon, and controls the Dusknoirs (and has a Duskull that is his own personal Pokémon). Jack Kenway has Mumik the Donphan, Azog the Tyranitar and Grond the Aggron (known also as the Hammer of Kenway and the Hammer of Ironside), and Fangorn the Trevenant.

Finally, for those wondering, the title page for this fic was designed to showcase the three important threads that will be running through this story: The legacy of the Marauders, the Dusknoirs of Sevii, and the white Noctowl of Morgan le Fay.


	2. An Awkward Moment

"Think of it this way," Remus said, turning to his left so he could get a better look at the lab coat he was trying on, "donating that jacket will mean that a Hogwarts student who doesn't have as much as you do will be able to save their money for more important things."

"I know, but I feel kinda bad giving it up. I've been through a lot with this coat." Harry said as he ran his hand along the sleeve of his trainer's jacket. It was one of the first new pieces of clothing he'd ever gotten and he felt terrible parting with it, even if it was too small.

"Not all of it good," Remus countered. "Maybe the coat's a trouble magnet and getting rid of it will let you have a normal school year."

"If it's a trouble magnet that means some 1st Year will end up drawing danger towards them... most likely when I am next to them."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you are just a bundle of sunshine?"

Harry smirked. "No, but they do say I take after you."

"Little brat," Remus muttered.

Harry laughed at that before turning his attention back to the seamstress that was going over his measurements. Remus and he had come to Galahad City with only a few weeks to go before the beginning of the Hogwarts school year in order to beat the rush. Harry knew that some families, like the Weasleys, would wait till the last moment to get their school supplies; Ron had once told Harry that it wasn't fun unless you were fighting the crowds and scrambling to get everything you needed before the shelves were left bare. Remus however had no desire to deal with the headaches such an adventure would bring and truthfully Harry felt the same way. Harry wondered if Ron's excuse was just that: an excuse.

Even if they'd wanted to experience the rush of last minute shopping, it would do neither of them any good, as they had large shopping lists and several custom items that needed to be made. Remus had told Harry in early July that Prof. Dumbledore had met with the Council of Gym Leaders and they had decided that after the Lockhart debacle that they needed a proven trainer to teach the Pokémon Battles classes. They'd gone through several potential candidates before settling on Remus himself, citing that his time evaluating gyms meant that he could not only teach the students of to win battles but to understand WHY they had won. The two of them had sat down to discuss the job, with Remus assuring Harry that he wouldn't mother-hen him and would do his best to treat the boy as just another student during normal school hours. Harry had told him to go for it. Remus had accepted but the new position meant that he needed an entire new wardrobe; it wouldn't do for him to show up to his first day of classes wearing his beaten-up sports coat and scuffed shoes.

As for Harry, he too was in need of entirely new wardrobe. While he hadn't quite hit his first major growth spurt the clothes he'd gotten when he'd first come to Avalon simply wouldn't do anymore, what with them being worn, faded, torn or generally destroyed due to Harry's many adventures. Remus had also pointed out to him that 3rd years were allowed to make certain upgrades to their school uniforms and this would be the perfect chance to do so.

Thus both man and young teen found themselves in Madam Malkin's Gear For All Environments getting measured while assistants showed off all different kinds of cloth and leather.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather have something a bit more daring?" Erin, one of the saleswomen, asked Remus. She had several bolts of fabric in her arms and was trying her hardest to get Remus to choose anything other than the plain white fabric he'd picked out.

"I need just a standard labcoat," Remus said, holding out his right arm to allow another assistant measure bicep.

"But a splash of color never hurt!" Erin said with a flirty smile. "Severus Snape wears all black! And I know the professors in Hoenn like to use dark silks..."

"Yes and everyone in Sinnoh wears furs and Johto teachers wear their war-dusters instead of labcoats. But that doesn't mean I need to. The white will do fine."

Erin let out a disappointed sigh, though Harry couldn't tell if it was because she wanted to dress Remus up or because she envied Robin, the salesclerk that had ended up with him. Remus, while spending just as much as Harry was on his clothes, wasn't as imaginative. Harry got the sense that the clothing designers longed not just for commissions but for the chance to experiment and try out new designs and styles. Remus was buying more but everything he was getting could have been plucked from a rack. Harry, on the other hand, was all for trying out different ideas and Robin was tickled pink to encourage him.

"This would be lovely in a fire red," Robin said as she slipped a yellow and blue jacket onto him. At first Harry was confused by the design, feeling that there was too much fabric around the neck, but once it was zipped up he saw that the coat was designed to make it look like he was wearing a turtleneck under it. The collar was overly large and stiff, so that it rose up rather than flopped about. It was both futuristic and retro in design.

"Interesting," Remus said, glancing up from the dress shoes he was looking over.

"Yeah but not right for me," Harry said, unzipping the garment. "The collar will get in the way during Gauntlet matches. Can I see the 3rd one we tried again?"

Robin nodded and hurried over to a pile of discarded coats. Harry had already picked out several new shirts and a few pairs of pants which were waiting for him near the register. He'd also selected a set of sneakers and some thick-soled boots that would replace his current pairs when he outgrew them. The jacket was the one that was taking the most time, as it would have to be custom made. At first Harry had considered just going with a standard trainer jacket but Remus had reminded him that most trainers, as they grew older, experimented with different colors and added flourishes to their wardrobe. Harry had admitted that Remus was right, remembering how several of the upper classmen had worn outfits that, at times, made it impossible to tell they were a Hogwarts student. His father had also gone for some flare when it came to his outfits; Harry smiled as he remembered the photo of his father as a 7th year wearing his long red coat.

"We could change the colors to red and gold," Robin said as she helped Harry slip the jacket on.

"No," Harry said, turning so he could get a side angle of how he looked. "I actually like it as is." The jacket was made of red leather that was so dark it almost looked brown. The lining was a nice standard chocolate color that would help keep him warm during the cold Avalon winter. The jacket was designed so that it could either be left open so the lapels were flared out or zipped up tight to give the wearer a sleek profile. "Every Gryffindor goes for bright red... this will be a bit different." He paused, running his hand along his left shoulder. "Hmmm."

"What is it, Harry?" Remus asked as he walked over, having finally been released by Erin.

"I was thinking about adding something to this shoulder here," Harry stated, tapping his left arm. "Now that I have a Hoothoot, and I also have Eevee who likes to climb onto me, it might be a good idea to add some protection here. I know Oliver has a bit of leather guarding on the forearm of his jacket..."

Robin clapped her hands. "I have just the thing!" She darted into the backroom and Harry and Remus looked at each other and shrugged before heading over to look at their purchases. They had just finished getting them folded and on the register table when the saleswoman returned with a brown leather bundle in her hands. "Hoenn trainers wear these as separate pieces but we could have them sewn directly onto your jacket." She dragged Harry back to the mirror and quickly strapped on the leather garments: a shoulder pad, forearm padding and a bicep guard. The final touch was a brown leather glove that went several inches over his jacket's sleeve. "There is a smaller glove for your right hand but the left one is designed to prevent flying Pokémon from clawing the back of your hand."

"What do you think, Remus?" Harry asked.

"Asymmetrical..." Remus said, rubbing his chin. "Definitely different and unique. Would work great for your Gauntlet Matches." Harry's guardian circled him for a few seconds before giving him a thumbs up. "Your dad would say it needed to be longer but I personally love it."

"Then I am getting it!" Harry declared. Robin took a few notes before helping him remove the gear, promising that they'd deliver the jacket and their other custom tailored clothes a week before school started.

After paying for their purchases and having Dobby and Reuniclus teleport them back home, Harry and Remus made their way towards Flourish and Blotts to get Harry's Dex upgraded with the newest Hogwarts study programs and lesson plans. Even though they weren't there during the final Back To School push there was still a line of trainers looking to get new apps for their Dex. Harry glanced over at the list of new releases and decided there really wasn't anything he wanted to get other than his Hogwarts coursework.

"I think I'll just go over here and get myself a coffee," Remus said.

"What?" Harry asked, but Remus was already hurrying away at a fast clip. The boy was confused by his guardian's behavior... until he turned and saw who was standing a few feet away.

"Uh... hi Harry."

"Hermione," Harry said. He tried to keep his tone as even as he could but he could tell from the way the girl flinched that he'd obviously been a bit harsh. A dark little part of him took utter joy in her pain but Harry refused to focus on that side of him. He wouldn't forgive her but that didn't mean he had to actively seek out to her hurt. "Hi," he said, deciding it would be best to try again.

"Hi," Hermione echoed. She shifted from one foot to the other and worried her bottom lip to the point that Harry thought it might begin to bleed. "How... how has your summer been?"

"Good," Harry said, wondering if he could get away with just that. The awkwardness that flowed between them, however, saw Harry needing to fill it with something. "Remus and I went into the northern forests."

"That sounds nice," Hermione said, moving to join him in line, even though she'd already gotten her Dex upgrades. Harry could tell she wanted to press him for more details but the unclear boundaries of their relationship prevented her from doing so. He was glad for that, as he honestly didn't know if he wanted her to be the first person to find out about Hedwig. "I... I read that Mr. Lupin is going to be our professor."

"Yeah," Harry said, taking a step forward as the line moved. "He's been reminding me I need to call him 'Professor' in class."

Hermione smiled slightly. "I'm sure that will be hard... but you'll manage, Harry."

The boy nodded and the two former friends lapsed into silence. While the betrayal had hurt greatly Harry was finding that the distance between the two of them was hurting him just as much. Part of him screamed that he was being too hard on her and should forgive her but the moment he considered opening his mouth to do so he would remember the pain she had caused him and would snap his jaw shut, refusing to let her off the hook so easily.

"What about you?" Harry finally asked, taking another step closer to the counter.

"What?" Hermione said in confusion.

"How was your summer?"

"Oh!" Hermione gave a little start at that. "Good... real good! I... uh... I also did some traveling. I visited Kalos for two weeks." She fidgeted for a moment. "I... did the usual... tourist... stuff." She grimaced, realizing how stupid that should but Harry didn't call her out on it. "It was fun."

Harry nodded, feeling that this was safe enough ground to stay on. He mentally decided to treat Hermione like he would Ernie from Hufflepuff: friendly nod, small talk about the summer, but nothing personal. Remus would be thrilled. "Did your parents enjoy the sights?"

"I... well, I didn't exactly go... with my parents." Hermione shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, embarrassed.

Harry brow furrowed as he stepped up to the counter and handed his dex to an attendant. "Hogwarts 3rd Year Curriculum plus any standard upgrades."

"One moment, sir," the woman said.

"Who did you go with then?" Harry asked. Hermione was really reddening then. 'If she says Lockhart...' the dark little part of his brain hissed.

Before Hermione could say a word a little blonde missile struck Harry, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a squeeze. "Harry!"

"Hi Luna!" Harry beamed. He could see Hermione shift away but couldn't bring himself to feel bad; Luna hadn't done anything to him and he wouldn't deny her his affection just because Hermione was near-

Thwick!

"Ow!" Harry yelped. Luna hadn't hit him hard at all but the bop she'd given his left leg, courtesy of Lucius Malfoy's now shortened cane, still made him start.

"I am sorry, Harry, but due to Hermione and I now being bestest best friends I am required to give you smacks until the two of you make up. I don't want to but those are the rules." Luna gave him a nod, looking all to serious; even with the pain he was fighting back laughter at the way she was holding herself.

"They are?" Harry asked, shaking his leg.

"Of course... bros before hos."

Hermione held her head in her hands. "Luna, we discussed this... we are not 'bros'."

"But I thought we were bestest best friends!" Luna said, sticking out her lower lip. "We Pinkie Promised and everything! Why did I buy those cupcakes then?"

"No, I mean we are bestest best friends... " Luna beamed at that and hurried over to hug Hermione, who returned it with a surprising amount of affection. "I just mean we can't be bros because we aren't men."

"...I don't think it works that way," Luna stated before turning towards Harry. "Hermione is my bestest best friend and as such she and I are now bros which makes you, sadly, a 'ho'. Please understand that this is nothing against you; I still like you a lot and want to be your friend."

"Uh..." Harry said, rubbing the back of his head. "Of course we are friends, Luna!" Harry said quickly.

"Good. I am glad that is settled." Luna instantly began to hop up and down like a Spoink hopped up on coffee. Mickey, her Trappinch, clung to her ponytail for dear life. "Did Hermione tell you about our trip to Kalos?!"

Harry smiled at her, though his eyes did slide towards a clearly embarrassed Hermione. "You and Hermione, huh?"

"Yup!" Luna said with glee. "Daddy and I invited Hermione to come with us! We went through the Glittering Caves and explored its deepest levels! I caught the most wonderful of Pokémon, I can't wait to show you at Hogwarts! I call it Luna Jr.!" Luna flashed Harry a bright grin. "Of course, that doesn't compare to the Pokémon Hermione caught in the Pokémon Vill-"

Hermione leap over to Luna and wrapped an arm around the blonde. "Why don't we go and pick up some treats for Luna Jr.?"

"Okie dokie!" Luna hugged Harry goodbye... then bopped his calf with her cane. "Bye ho!"

Harry mutely took back his dex from the attendant, who was clearly trying to keep herself from laughing at him, and marched over to Remus, who was not even attempted to hide his mirth. "I suppose you find that and the bruises on my leg funny?"

"Just a bit," Remus admited. "I noticed you didn't yell or scream at Hermione."

"That doesn't mean I forgive her," Harry said firmly.

"I know... but it doesn't mean you hate her either."

"Well, it's a start. Come on, let's get going, ho."

Harry growled at his guardian but nodded. His mind was focused entirely on thinking of some way to get back at Remus for just standing there and watching him suffer. So preoccupied was he on the thoughts of revenge that he didn't even noticed the man in the dark cloak, his face covered with a skull-mask, watching his every move.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Note: I enjoyed this chapter quite a bit. On the surface, it looks like fluff, "Oh, Mr. Chaos is spending pages discussing Harry's new jacket… yay." But it also gives you wonderful insight into the characters and lets me do a bit of world building as well as set up things for later on. Harry is going to be needing that extra leather armor later on…

The idea behind the different regions is that they all have their own customs and styles. Kanto is very much traditional with their teachers, with the simple lab coat and dress outfit. Avalon uses the same coat but is a bit more casual with what they wear under it (hence Dumbledore wearing floral print shirts under his and Snape going all black). Johto, due to the Sons having control of it, no longer do the labcoat thing and instead the preferred garment is a war-duster: a long coat that comes to just below the knee with a hood on the back. Hoenn, being based on Italy and being very warm, sees its people not wear labcoats but instead just have silk dressshirts. Sinnoh is the reverse… think Game of Thrones for their long cloaks and coats. Unova is the good USA so most professors just wear whatever they want, though tight military-style jackets are fashionable. Kalos is Kalos and literally everyone looks like a supermodel.

And yes, the first jacket Harry tried on is Booster Gold's jacket. I couldn't help myself.

Have Luna become Hermione's 'bestest best friend' is both great for finding ways to keep Hermione involved with the story while the others shun her and giving Luna some fun stuff to do. They also work well as a tag team and I am enjoying writing their pairing.


	3. Talks and Trainers

"Hedwig!" Harry called out, holding out his left arm. The albino Hoothoot flapped over to him, her foot grasping his padded sleeve and steadying herself as Harry shifted his weight. "And... fly!" Harry called out.

Fawhap!

"Almost," Remus said with a laugh as Harry spat and sputtered, trying to get the taste of feathers out of his mouth. He'd been training with Hedwig for almost a month, trying to master quick landings and takeoffs. While it would be easy to use a Pokéball the element of surprise would be lost when a competitor or a wild Pokémon saw a red-and-white orb go flying up overhead and the albino flyer suddenly disappeared in a flash of red light. It'd be far more preferable if Harry could get Hedwig to come to him on cue, especially if Harry could ever master his Speaking talents, so he could actually ask the avian what she had seen. The goal was to eventually have Hedwig land just by seeing Harry's arm raise and take off when he gave her a nod; first though Harry had to get her to perform the task correctly with vocal commands. That was proving troublesome; the landings were perfectly fine... it was the takeoffs that they kept messing up. Instead of a graceful climb up into the air Hedwig would hop off his arm and unfurl her wings right in his face, earning him a nose full of plumage for his trouble.

"Toki!" Togetic said, hovering around Harry's head. She had been delighted when she'd met Hedwig, treating the Hoothoot like a little sister. The problem was that Hedwig was strong-willed and refused to be babied. Togetic took it in stride, seeming to think the avian's practice of darting away from her was a game.

"Yeah, I know, it's all my fault," Harry said sarcastically. Ludwig and Eevee made their way over, watching as Hedwig continued to soar over their heads. Harry himself took a moment to watched, amazed that his newest Pokémon was so graceful in the air despite her round, ball-like body. One would expect her to be about as elegant as Crabbe or Goyle in a pink tutu, but the moment she left the ground Hedwig did the impossible and managed to fly about with ease.

'Dobby would prefer if Good Harry Potter not think of Mean Former Master's Bookends in tutus,' Dobby mentally said as he ambled over.

Remus let out a bark of laughter. "I think we've corrupted him!"

"I think so," Harry said with a smile as he held out his arm. "Hedwig!" Harry called out, the albino swooping down and lowering herself onto his arm. "Return," Harry said, recalling her. "I still don't get why it isn't working," Harry complained as he began to return the rest of his Pokémon to their balls. "We can't move on until she gets the takeoff right."

Remus ruffled Harry's hair, knowing the boy would hate it. His Zorua, Mooney, pranced around Harry's feet letting out a barking laugh of his own. "Sometimes it just takes time. Your dad had a heck of a time getting his Deerling to charge properly. Prongs was too much of a child at heart and never really grew up and it didn't help that your dad was the same way." Remus laughed as he remembered his friend and his Pokémon. "He used to complain like you are right now, wondering why he couldn't get him to listen."

"Well, that makes me feel a bit better," Harry muttered as Dobby teleporting back into the house to retrieve Harry's bags. "Still, I wish we'd have gotten it down before today; won't be much time to practice at Hogwarts." He kicked at a clump of grass in annoyance. Today was the day that the train left for Hogwarts and Harry had been hoping to have Hedwig's takeoff mastered by now.

"Oh, I'm sure there will be... if you stop goofing off with Ron and actually study."

"I do study!" Harry complained. "I got some of the best total marks in Gryffindor!"

Remus pursed his lips together and nodded. Dobby reappeared with Harry's backpack and his satchel (a gift from Remus to commemorate Harry's third year). Reuniclus was next to them a second later with the trunks Remus was bringing with him held tight by his psychic grip. "I suppose so..." He nodded to the two psychic types and both of them felt the tale-tell jerk before they landed in Galahad Station.

Harry grumbled as he pulled himself up. Remus, at the very least, had landed.

Helping the boy, Remus continued to nod and rub his chin. Harry did his best to ignore his guardian but finally flopped his arms about and snapped, "What?"

"What what?" Remus asked.

"You only get that look on your face when you are about to school me in something," Harry complained, double-checking to make sure they hadn't left anything behind during the teleport. While having Dobby meant that Harry wouldn't have to worry too much, as he could always have the Pokémon return to Remus' seaside cottage if something was forgotten, Harry didn't want to rely upon the yellow-and-brown psychic type to waste his energy bouncing back and forth between Remus' place and Hogwarts. "So just get on with it."

"I am not going to school you in anything," Remus said innocently. "You wound me by being so suspicious."

"You've raised me these last two years to be suspicious," Harry reminded.

"That is true," Remus admitted. "But I am not going to school you." He paused and Harry waited for the snark to come; he wasn't disappointed. "Of course, if I were to school you, I would point out that you are only second in Gryffindor... and have all of Ravenclaw, two Hufflepuffs, and a Slytherin ahead of you... as well as Hermione." Harry opened his mouth to complain but Remus cut him off. "I would also point out that if it weren't for you getting incredible marks in Battle Class you would be far down in the lower-middle of the rankings."

"So?" Harry asked. "That just means I'm really good at battling!"

"And other things," Remus countered. "Harry, you keep forgetting that I went to school with your mum and dad. Your mum was the smartest trainer Hogwarts turned out. Your dad too... towards the end of his education." Remus shook his head, it clear to Harry that his guardian was drifting back to his own school days, before the war had truly become a war and before Remus had lost so many friends. "Your father, when I first met him, didn't want to focus on anything that wasn't fun. He was bloody smart, Harry... but lazy. He didn't bother to learn about any Pokémon except his own, feeling it wasn't necessary. He didn't pay attention if he felt a subject wasn't worth his attention. He was an amazing battler, don't get me wrong, but that was purely because he was able to overwhelm the rest of us."

"And what... you think I'm lazy too?" Harry asked.

"I didn't say that," Remus stated, seeking to soothe Harry's ego. "My point is that for the first 5 years of his time at Hogwarts, your dad was more interested in hanging out with Sirius and playing pranks of Slytherins then studying. Honestly, they were their generations Weasley Twins." Harry gulped at that; he wasn't for sure if he wanted to think of his father, who so many told him was a great man, as being in the same group as Fred and George. "But in 6th Year things changed. Your father took the same focus that had him leading all four of us into becoming Pokemagnuses and dedicated it towards his studies. In two years he went from a goof-off to being fourth best in our class… behind your mum and I, of course."

"What made him change?" Harry asked.

"Your mum, for the most part," Remus admitted. "But also things like the war. Your dad saw how bad it was through Sirius and realized he needed to buckle down if he wanted to help beat Team Nocturne."

"What do you mean, 'through Sirius'?"

Remus sighed sadly. "The House of Black had a civil war of sorts. Sirius' mother and most of his aunts and uncles joined with Voldemort. His cousin Bellatrix became one of Team Nocture's top lieutenant while her little sister Narcissa married-"

"Lucius Malfoy," Harry stated.

"Exactly. Even Sirius' brother Regulus got sucked into it... seeing what happened to him is what caused Sirius, his cousin Andromeda, and his father to side with Dumbledore and those fighting against Nocturne. Andy went to live with her boyfriend Ted Tonks' family and Sirius' father sent him to stay with the Potters, to protect him from the rest of the Blacks. Your father saw how much the war had torn apart Sirius' family and realized that he wanted to stop it once and for all."

Remus glanced up at the clock, seeing they still had a few minutes, and continued. "To get back to my point, however... your dad buckled down and was better because of it. And you can do the same thing too. I wasn't there your first year to push you and this last year I wanted you to have some time to grow and have fun... but you are getting older Harry and it is time to begin thinking about your future."

"I still don't think I'm doing that bad," Harry said, a bit moody. He'd been enjoying the stories about his father but now that Remus was back to pointing out his faults he was growing annoyed.

Remus placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be like that. I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't love you. I know it's new to you to have someone that actually cares about how you do and wants you to succeed, so I'm not going to push too hard... but you can't expect to just coast by this year. I expect you to put in a bit more effort and try and get your grades to improve."

"...except Potions," Harry said firmly.

"I don't know... your mum was a wiz at..."

"Professor... Snape," Harry reminded him.

Remus let out a huff. "Fine, I won't expect wonders when it comes to Potions. But I want to see a half grade uptick in every other course." He squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Hey, maybe you'll find you enjoy it. I know I love to research new things."

"That's because you are a geek," Harry said with a slight smile.

"And proud of it, Harry. Seriously though..." Remus trailed off, getting a strange look on his face, before shaking his head as if trying to dispel something physically from his mind, "...I know you can do better and I think you want to do better too. I'm not going to tell you not to have fun; all I want is for you to temper it a bit."

"As long as you promise not to become a helicopter parent, I'll be ok with that," Harry stated.

Remus flashed him a smile. "I was looking forward to sitting with you on the train... I brought baby pictures to show your friends and everything."

"Dobby, I think Good Mr. Lupin should be teleported into a lake," Harry grumbled. Reuniclus merely smiled, flexing one hand in the universal sign of 'bring it'. "I'll see you at the banquet."

"Have fun," Remus said with wave, his Zorua letting out a yip as he clamored onto Remus' shoulder. "Hello Neville."

"Hello Mr. Lupin!" Neville called out as he walked over to Harry. "Bye Mr. Lupin!"

"Going to have to get use to calling him professor," Harry told his friend, bumping Neville's fist with his own.

The shy Gryffindor nodded. Harry was surprised to see that Neville was wearing a variation of the jacket he'd worn when the two of them battled Cho Chang and her friend the previous year. He remembered Neville stating that the jacket belonged to his father and Harry wondered if Neville had gotten his own version because of that or if it had been a gift from his Gran, who seemed to be forever trying to get Neville to become a copy of Frank Longbottom.

"Yeah... that is going to be weird." Neville reached down and itched Flora between the ears, the Ivysaur letting out a bark of pleasure. Harry was surprised when Neville began to pull the petals of Flora's flower back and he was even more startled when two tiny little eyes blinked at him. "Oh, sorry about that!" Neville said with a chuckle, cupping his hands and pulling out a small, whitish-yellow Pokémon with a crown-like flower on her head and a green lower body. "Puck here keeps trying to slip away."

"Puck?" Harry asked.

"My Flabébé. I found her in the Greenhouse a few weeks ago and managed to catch her. Gran was excited because she has the Flower Veil ability, which protects Grass types. She thinks her and Flora might make good tag-team partners."

"I'd say so," Harry said, watching as Puck squirmed and tried to get back to Flora. Neville finally relented and returned the Flabébé to Flora's bulb, the Fairy letting out a happy coo and waving to Harry and Neville before scurrying back into her hiding place. "He's pretty cool, Neville. I can't wait to show you my new Pokémon."

Neville nodded. "Hey... if it isn't my place to ask just ignore me but... you and Remus seemed looked pretty heated when you were talking a moment ago... everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's fine Nev," Harry stated. "Remus was just giving me the Talk."

"Oh god, right here?!" Ron exclaimed in horror as he and Ginny ran up, for once not actually late. "Right on the platform?"

"Well... yeah," Harry said. "I mean, I wish he hadn't done it in such a public place..."

"Wish?" Ginny said in disgust. "If my parents try to give me the Talk in public next year I'll throw such a fit child services will be involved!"

Harry's eyes widened at that. "Isn't that a little extreme?"

"Isn't talking about the Beedrills and the Spearows in the middle of a crowded train station extreme?" Ron countered.

"No wonder you two were tense," Neville opinioned.

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "No, wait, I think you guys are confused. We didn't have 'The Talk'... he gave me the Talk. You know... buckle down, study hard, 'I expect better grades from you young man'? That one."

Ginny, Neville and Ron blinked. "Oooooohhhh!" the three of them exclaimed.

"Yeah, that makes more sense," Ron said, giving Harry a sheepish grin. "Sorry mate."

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, sorry." She glanced over Neville's shoulder, watching as her mother and father were talking to a cowed Fred and George. "Mum and dad are giving all of us that Talk too."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Ron admitted. "Percy is Head Boy this year and mum is disappointed that us 'four youngsters' aren't doing better. Bill was also Head Boy and Charlie barely missed out. Her and dad want us all to shape up and do better." Ron smirked. "Of course, thanks to Fred and George the pressure is off me and Gin just a bit."

Neville licked his lips. "My Gran gave me the same speech," he admitted. "Except instead of grades she wants me to be more outgoing." He quickly added, "Not that she thinks you guys are terrible! She is thrilled all of you are my friends... she just wants me to do more stuff... join some clubs or something. She said my dad was really outgoing…" Neville grew silent and his friends didn't say a word. Just before school had let out the year before Neville had finally opened up to them and revealed that his mom and dad were in the hospital. He clearly wasn't ready to tell them what was wrong with Frank and Alice Longbottom but a bit of digging on Harry's part revealed they had been attacked by members of Team Nocturne just after Harry's parents had died.

"Guess we are all getting the Talk," Harry said.

"I see someone who probably didn't," Ron said coolly. "Hermione."

The bushy-haired girl looked at them, her head down and her voice quiet. "Hello-"

"CHARLIE MURPHEY!"

Thwick Thwick Thwick Thwick!

"OW!" Ron yelped, clutching his ankle as he bounced about. Ginny, Harry and Neville joined him.

"Luna!" Hermione exclaimed as the blonde spun her cane around. "I thought I told you not to hit them!"

The blonde girl looked down sadly. "I know... that was COLDBLOODED!" she threw out her arms and sang the last word. She reached over and patted Neville on the cheek. "I'm Luna Lovegood, baby... enjoy yourself!"

"Luna," Hermione said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I know you want them to forgive me but they aren't if you keep hitting them!"

Ron grit his teeth, still rubbing his calf. He took a half hop, half step towards Luna, fists clenched. "Bloody hell, Luna, what the-"

"CU CU!"

The red-head fell onto his rear, eyes wide as a small brown Pokémon wielding a heavy white club leapt onto his chest. This wouldn't have been too horrifying if not for the fact that the Pokémon was wearing a _**SKULL**_ on her head like a helmet.

"Ronald," Luna said politely, leaning down. She extended her pink and brought it to the corner of her mouth. "Meet my new Pokémon. I call her… Mini Me."

"Luna Jr," Hermione stated.

"Cu Cu!" the Cubone declared.

Luna picked the Ground type up, cuddling her. Luna Jr. merely glared at the group and gripped her bone club, twisting it in her hands and miming strangling them. "She is so protective of me and my bestest best friend Hermione, so please be careful and don't say anything that might sound like a threat. Don't worry though...know that her violent outbursts are out of friendship!"

"Cu!" Cubone declared, pointing at the four before drawing her little paw across her throat.

"That means 'I love you'!" Luna said happily.

"We'll... uh... go find a seat on the train," Hermione said, gently pushing Luna and her bodyguard towards the train.

"Bye hos!" Luna called out.

Ginny tilted her head. "So... I think this is the year we'll all die."

"Every year is year I almost die," Harry muttered. "Won't be that different. Might be nice to have some company for a change."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: A bit more fun and lightheartedness before the story really begins to kick into gear. Hermione is still outside the group looking in but Luna and her walking stick are making sure that Harry and Co don't treat her like garbage.

One of the hardest things to do in this fic is pick out the Pokémon the characters will get. Because I want to avoid repeats, that means once I select a Pokémon for a character, they are almost always off-limits for me to use (except for Family Pokémon… every Weasley gets a Rattata, every Kenway raised up the Tyranitar line, so on and so forth). More importantly, the Pokémon have to fit in with their new trainer and make sense for them. Each character, believe it or not, has a requirement for them when it comes to selecting a Pokémon for them:

Harry- He will have the most rounded team. All his Pokémon either need to represent something from the books OR represent someone in his family (Ludwig for Lily Potter, for example, Togepi is himself)

Neville- Grass types, pure and simple. I do plan to shake this up a bit though…

Luna- Strange, wonderful Pokémon. Each one of hers needs to be… odd.

Hermione- Small, runtish Pokémon that turn into beautiful, elegant creatures

Ron and Ginny- These ones I am going to keep secret, for now.

Now then, a listing of the trainers that were reintroduced in this chapter and what Pokémon they currently have on them:

Neville's Pokémon- Flora the Ivysaur, Stumper the Phantump, Sam the Snover, and Puck the Flabébé.

Ron Weasley- Raticate, Cubchoo, Emolga

Ginny Weasley- Rattata, Parchirisu


	4. Hogwarts Express

Harry looked at his dex in confusion. "So what exactly is this app?"

"Just something I put together during the summer," Ginny said with a smile, pointing her dex at Neville's and wirelessly sending the download over to him. "Thought it might be a great way to pass the time. You can only play so many rounds of Electrode Explosion."

"Yeah, but that's why some of us bring other things," Neville said, gesturing towards Hermione, who had her dex open and was clearly engrossed in a book she'd downloaded.

"But this is actually going to be fun!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione glanced up but, not wanting to risk the goodwill the others had shown her in letting her share a cabin with them, didn't say a word. Neville had, after the first whack from Luna's cane, quickly declared that he forgave Hermione, earning a kiss on the cheek from the blonde. In truth he had mostly been ignoring Hermione out of solidarity for the others, having rationalized that Lockhart's meddling with her memories had caused Hermione to act in ways that she normally wouldn't have. Ron had tried to do the same but Luna had informed him that she could sense he hadn't truly forgiven Hermione. She'd then shouted 'Punch Buggy Topaz!' and socked him on the shoulder; it hadn't hurt but had left Ron wondering just when Luna had become so violent.

Ginny had known that Luna would not let Hermione be alone and had expressed that she was ok with her sitting with them. They'd all turned to Harry who'd, after several moments, shrugged his shoulders and said it was ok. Hermione knew that despite this she was still on thin ice and didn't want to say anything that might destroy all the progress she'd made. There was a difference between being allowed near the group and being a part of it and Hermione wasn't foolish enough to believe that she was going to be allowed back in the inner circle anytime soon.

"It's a Bingo app," Ginny stated proudly as Luna sent the app to Hermione. "I made the touch screen the playing screen and created a random square generator so each board will be completely different! Best of all, all the squares are completely custom categories that apply to the train ride; all we have to do is enjoy the ride like we normally do and when something happens check the appropriate square!"

Harry looked over his dex, chuckling slightly. Some of the events on his board were 'Ron will burp three times', 'The Candy Cart will sell out of Koffing Cakes before it gets to us' and 'A Hufflepuff will mistake our cabin for his/hers'.

"I also created some for when we are at Hogwarts, during a Gauntlet match, so on and so on. We can play all year long and no one will even know it but the five…siz of us!" Ginny added the last bit when she glanced at Hermione, clearly not wanting to include the bushy-haired girl but unable to find a good enough reason not too.

Ron looked over at Hermione, who had accepted the download but hadn't stopped reading her text once, and let out a groan. "Oh come on, that was almost a guaranteed mark!" Harry leaned closer to Ron and fought back a laugh as he saw the square 'Hermione will tell us not to do something'. "Bloody hell, mate, I-"

Hermione looked up, smiled slightly, and checked off a box. "'Ron will be the first to swear'," she said simply before minimizing the tab and returning to her reading.

"...arrrrgghhH!" Ron shouted, stomping his foot in frustration while the rest of his friends laughed.

After Ron's blowup the six friends happily lapsed into their normal routine. Luna and Hermione ended up taking sitting back to back, their feet up on the cushioned bench as they used the other as a backrest. Luna Jr., who refused to enter her Pokeball, sat next to Hermione's feet, polishing her bone club while Crookshanks was resting on Hermione's lap, his trainer's fingers running through his soft fur. Neville and Ginny sat opposite of them, the heir of Longbottom showing the youngest Weasley how he pruned and maintained Flora's petals. Harry and Ron sat on the floor, pouring over the latest Gauntlet standings and debating if the Tor Town Tauros would ever break .500. The only time all six of them actually did something together was when one would reach down and check a box on their Bingo Card, earning demands to know what had just happened.

Harry opened up his board and smiled. He was doing ok, all things considered. While the Candy Cart had plenty of Koffing Cakes he'd managed to spot a Pelliper and a Hufflepuff 2nd year had mistaken their cabin as his. He hoped that within the next few hours he'd hit a few more; even if he didn't get a Bingo he'd like to, at the very least, be close.

"What are you two reading?" Neville finally asked as he held out his pinkie to Puck, the little Flabebe grabbing on and allowing Neville to move her to a different section of Flora's closed flower.

"A book about Veelas I picked up in Kalos," Hermione stated.

"She wants to help me with my powers," Luna said, positively beaming at the thought that Hermione cared so much about her that she wanted to learn more about her origins. "I try to study but I get distracted when I can't find Waldo."

Harry reached over and clicked the 'Luna makes a comment I don't understand' box.

"It's all really interesting," Hermione stated. "The author believes that all the Pokémon Arts deal with a single aspect of Human-Pokémon relations and interactions. Veelas, for example, deal with the emotional aspect of interaction, while Speaker deal with actual communication, Pokemagnuses are all about the physical, and The Dreamers deal with unconscious thoughts. Of course, Elemental Benders are a bit trickier and no one is really quite sure what Distortion Walkers actually do." Hermione laughed. "And Aura Knights just take things for a complete loop when it comes to spiritual energy..."

"I only understood every 4th word in that sentence," Ron complained.

Hermione smiled and subtly clicked a box on her own Bingo card. "The point is that Veelas are able to sense emotions and affect them and distort them. Legends about sirens can be traced back to Veela pirates who used their powers to draw men in so they could plunder their ships."

Harry frowned. That didn't explain why he had trouble when Luna looked at him for too long. _'Unless Luna is so desperate for friends that she subconsciously uses her powers to draw people in and pay attention to her.'_ Seeing the blonde squirm, Harry merely flashed her a smile, which was quickly returned in kind.

"Well..." Neville began, deciding to cut the awkward tension. "Luna, what are you reading?"

"Oh, just daddy's newspaper," Luna said with a bright smile.

"Anything interesting?" Harry asked, only to receive several incredulous looks from all his friends save Luna. "What?"

"You've never read the Quibbler, have you?" Ron asked.

"Uh... no, not really. I mostly just use the Holo Cast. Why?"

"Well..." Ginny said, tapping her chin, "let's just say that Quibbler is never dull."

Luna quickly nodded. "Oh yes, daddy is quite proud that everything he publishes is thought-provoking, shocking, and 100% factual... from a certain point of view."

"From a certain point of view?" Harry asked.

"Yes. That is such a magical phrase... it allows me to claim a relative of yours is dead when I really chopped off his legs and one of his arms and left him to burn next to a lava river." Harry just stared blankly at Luna. "Also, be careful who you date, because it could be your twin sister who was hidden to protect you from the Emperor."

"What Emperor?" Harry asked against his better judgment.

"The one that rules Sevii Island, of course."

Hermione turned her head so she could look at her 'bestest best friend'. "Luna, Sevii is ruled by a Lord, not an Emperor."

"Well of course! Everyone knows that, Hermione!" Luna looked at the rest of their friends and did the international sign for 'crazy'. Hermione, due to both her newfound friendship with the girl and her weakened one with the others, bit her tongue and allowed Luna the victory. "The better question is 'why is he here in Avalon?'"

"An Emperor is here in Avalon?" Ron asked in confusion.

"No, he's busy getting a new groove. The Lord of Sevii is here though, according to daddy." Luna pressed a button on her dex and beamed the article she was reading directly to her friends' dexs. All of them quickly opened the download and read.

**Lord of Sevii Roams Avalon Country Side! **

_By Xeno Lovegood_

_Terrified villagers are flooding their local PokéShops looking to stock up on pitchforks and torches after the Lord of Sevii was spotted with his entourage of Dusknoirs this past weekend. No one is quite sure why the mysterious Lord is in Avalon (though faithful readers know the lord isn't that mysterious, as he is actually famed rockstar/astrophysicist/heartthrob Stubby Boardman). The dark fellow, who is never spotted without his skull-mask, has been seen by several Avalon residents committing vagrant acts of mopery._

_"Wait, you think mopery means that?!" exclaimed one horrified eyewitness who spotted the Lord disappearing into an alley. "What is wrong with you?" she went on, clearly distressed to the point of sanity._

_Other villagers who spotted the Lord report that he was stalking through towns, watching several gyms before using his Dusknoirs as cover for his escape. None of the witnesses have been able to get close enough to the Lord of Sevii to ask him why he is in Avalon or if it was indeed he who put the bop in the bop shoo bop. _

_When asked about the Lord of Sevii, one villager told us, "I don't know why he was lurking around. Now, do you want fries with your burger or not?"_

_We here at the Quibbler suspect that there is a greater conspiracy at hand. Reaching out to officials has only caused them to throw up blockades against the pursuit of the truth._

_"Xeno, what are you doing in my bathtub?" Amos Diggory told this reporter when confronted with evidence of the cover-up. "Seriously, we're all worried about you... we think you might be suffering brain damage."_

_The Quibbler remains dedicated to solving this mystery and will continue to follow up on this story until a famous person does something more interesting. _

_**Click Here to read a timeline of Stubby Boardman**_

_**Click Here to find out about the long history of mopery, the silent killer**_

_**Click Here for compromising photos of Amos Diggory and Xeno Lovegood together in the shower**_

_**Ar, Click Here Matey to hear this here article read by a scurvy pirate**_

"Wow," Harry said.

"Isn't it nice to know that there is a paper out there reporting on the truth?" Luna said with a dreamy smile. Harry looked at his other friends, who merely shrugged.

"He is actually very nice," Hermione said with a slight smile of her own. "Very smart and funny. Don't judge him by his paper." Harry glanced her and she quickly ducked her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"Yes, daddy so does hate it when people get star-struck by him," Luna said quickly, covering for Hermione before anyone could call her out on being a bit too friendly. There was enough of a grin tugging on her lips to make Harry wonder if she were messing around with him or completely serious.

"So..." Ginny said after several moments, "why do you think the Lord of Sevii is in Avalon?"

"You think he really is?" Harry asked.

Neville nodded. "The Quibbler might go off on weird tangents but it's never wrong when it comes to the seeds of truth. The Lord of Sevii is here in Avalon, that much is for certain."

"My theory is that he is trying to find Claire Bennett before Sylar takes her brain." Luna reached over and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Save the cheerleader... save the world."

"I'll remember that," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Yatta."

"He's probably here for a meet and greet," Ron reasoned. "I heard most of the Team Nocturne grunts that were captured ended up on Sevii. Makes sense he'd want to come visit and try and get more money to hold them."

"But he hasn't had the need to visit any other region," Neville pointed out. "Most of the meet and greets are done by Jack Kenway."

"And if he were doing a meet and greet, why would he bring the Dusknoirs?" Ginny asked, shivering slightly.

"You ok?" Harry asked. "You aren't afraid of Ghost types, are you?"

The red-headed girl shook her head. "You know I'm not. Ludwig is very nice and Linus and Stumper are also cute. Dusknoirs are a different story, though. I mean, have you read the analysis of them? Creepy."

Before Harry could ask what Ginny meant by that the cabin door opened with a whoosh and six heads turned as one to stare at the newest arrivals.

"Well, looks like we found where to toss our trash," Draco said with a laugh, throwing a crumpled chip bag onto the floor. Crabbe and Goyle were, as always, acting as bookends to the 'Prince of Slytherin'. Pansy Parkinson was standing beside Draco, a tight-lipped smile on her puckered face.

"Malfoy, how horrible to see you again," Harry said dryly, trusting Ginny and Neville to keep Ron from saying something stupid. His friend had yet to learn that anger was just the reaction Draco was trying to get and by fighting it with intelligence, rather than sputtering frustration, one had a better chance at defeating the blond Slytherin. "Could you please tell your father that I am absolutely loving Dobby and I am very thankful for the trade. I hope he is enjoying the Pokémon I sent him."

All the blood rushed to Draco's face and Harry wondered if Draco's brain was going to sputter out. It was Pansy though that spoke. "You are nothing more than a liar, Potter! Mr. Malfoy came to you, wanting to help you, and you betrayed him!"

"Several things wrong with that statement," Ginny said with a snort. "Let's start with Draco's daddy actually trying to help Harry then move on to Harry not betraying him in the slightest."

"Also, you should so Harry more respect," Luna said.

"Shut it, Looney," Goyle said.

Flora and Luna Jr. sprung towards the Slytherins, the two Pokémon barely containing the urge to begin beating on them.

"Control your pests, Longbottom," Draco said, managing to get a hold of his temper. "We wouldn't want me having to tell my father that you can't control them... he'd be forced to put them down."

"Bingo," Hermione said quietly, checking a box off on her dex.

"There is no need to be rude or violent," Luna said simply. "I was merely pointing out that Harry is the descendent of your House's Founder... that means he's sort of your lord and master."

Draco clenched his jaw so hard it was a wonder his teeth didn't shatter. "Don't you DARE disgrace the great Salazar Slyytherin by claiming Potter here is his heir."

"Claim nothing," Harry said simply, standing up. "I am the Heir of Slytherin, Malfoy."

"Then maybe it is time to wipe that line out," Draco fired back.

"Maybe... but not by you," Harry said, taking a step forward and glaring at Draco. "It will take someone that can actually battle to beat me."

Pansy reached for one of her Pokeballs. "Watch your mouth, Potter."

"Watch yours, Parkinson," Ron finally said, moving to stand by his best mate.

"You've insulted my betrothed," Neville said, getting in on the action. Ginny was already pulling out one of her Pokeballs while Hermione moved to protect Luna if attacks began to fly about. It always surprised his fellow students when Neville went from being shy and quiet to being hard and stern. The surest way to activate the change was to insult Luna. "If I ever hear you or one of your goons call Luna that name again I will declare a Blood Feud between House Longbottom and House Malfoy... and I doubt your father wants that, what with everything else he is dealing with."

Harry nodded. "And I'll be right behind him." He leaned in close and hissed. "You and I both know it wasn't Cho that unleashed Zygarde. I remember who the blame lies with... and I'm not going to forget anytime soon."

"And I'm not going to forget who cost my family all that we've lost," Draco countered, it clear that he wasn't just speaking of the walls Gyarados had destroyed during his rampage.

"We're stopping," Hermione said. It took a few moments for everyone to realize that Hermione was not talking about the fight but the train. "Why are we stopping? We are still an hour away from Hogwarts."

Draco opened his mouth his mouth to say something but, spotting something out of the corner of his eye, thought better of it. He merely flashed one final glare at Harry and his friends before stalking off with Pansy in tow, Crabbe and Goyle following behind. The cause of his quick departure began clear when Remus walked into the cabin, his face stern and lips pursed.

"We didn't start it," Ron said quickly, fearing that Remus was there to yell at them for fighting with the Slytherins.

Harry, though, quickly saw that this wasn't what was bothering his guardian. "What is it? Why did the train stop?"

Remus looked at all of them before he spoke. "Dusknoirs have surrounded the train."

Ginny let out a whimper while Neville nervously peered out the window. Harry slowly turned as well, staring out at the grassy fields that lay out before the stopped train. Suddenly, the window was filled up by the gray featureless face and red eye of a Dusknoir, who looked at the startled Gryffindors before floating past. Luna Jr. growled and leapt into Luna's lap, looking ready to attack if the phantoms swarmed them.

"W-why are they here?" Ron asked nervously.

"The Lord of Sevii has commanded the train to stop," Remus said, his tone measured. "He's stated that he won't let us pass until his demand is met."

"And... what is his demand?" Hermione said.

Remus looked right at Harry, the boy swallowing as he silently guessed what the Lord want.

"He wants to talk to you, Harry," Remus said, confirming the teen's fear, "alone."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: First, let's talk about this chapter. I loved writing Xeno's article… it was just so much fun to have him running about, half clueless and being silly. Of course, the question of if he truly is insane or if this is a case of 'The jester is the only one that can tell the king the truth' remains to be seen. It was also a chance to have some fun with easter eggs.

Some reviewers have taken issues a few characterizations I have done so far, namely that I am making Hermione more like the movie version than the book and that I am not having the gang be hard enough on her. The second point first: I was never going to have Harry go into a rage and scream at her. Harry doesn't do that… the Dursleys would have beaten such reactions out of him. Harry instead tends to shut himself down when it comes to people that have hurt him… you are allowed to be near him but he won't open up to you. If you think that is fun… it isn't. I have family that does that and trust me I'd rather be screamed at then frozen out. As for Neville, he is more forgiving than the rest. Ginny and Ron are angry but, because they weren't affected, mostly follow Harry's actions. If you think that I am being too easy on Hermione that is your opinion but I have a story I want to tell and I am telling it this way. I'd rather you stop reading then continue to complain about something I am not going to change.

As for the movie comment… I've made it clear this story isn't the books or the movie. It is my own world, using these characters in new ways. I will be borrowing from everything I can: books, games, movies, fan fics, fan art, so on. Yes, the looks of the characters are more in line with the movies. That is how I see them when I write them. Again, if this is a major problem, I suggest you stop reading; I'm not going to change my mind on this. I made it clear up front that this is going to be a blending of worlds and if you are expecting me to follow the book 100% I suggest you walk away now and just read the bloody book.

Rehashing the same complaints over and over will not make me change my mind, nor will idle threats of you 'never reading again'. It is just wasting your time as I stop reading your reviews when I get to that part. Save yourself the trouble and just don't review if you are going to pick up the same complaint over and over that Hermione/Ron aren't being bashed enough or that you think Harry should be running around acting like a macho meathead.


	5. The Lord of Sevii

Remus had moved far enough away from Harry to keep the boy from hearing what he was saying. That didn't do much good, as it was clear just watching him that Remus wasn't happy with what the pink haired Officer was telling him. Harry had been surprised that it wasn't a Jenny who had arrived at the idling train. No, instead of a seasoned blue-haired officer in the standard bright blue uniform the Avalon Law Enforcement Squad or ALES had sent someone who looked like she should be holding Remus at knife point, demanding his wallet. The Auror had on black leather pants, a puffy grayish-white shirt, combat boots and a long red leather jacket. Her entire posture screamed casualness and the way she was standing made it clear that she really didn't care what Remus said. She kept tossing a Pokeball up into the air, only to slap her hand out and grasp it before repeating the process. Zorua had growled at her but received a zap for his troubles from the young woman's cackling Rotom. Remus hadn't liked that one bit but the Auror had merely winked at him.

The Dusknoirs floated nearby, making no real move to attack him but also doing nothing to put him at ease. Their red cyclopean eyes every so often lingered on Harry and made the boy squirm a bit. He wouldn't have minded so much if it were just one of them but it was the fact that it was a swarm of the strange ghost-types that really had Harry on edge. They had no real features to speak of, so it was hard to tell just what they were thinking; Harry would have preferred it if they were able to glare or sneer or laugh. It was their blank, flat faces, that gave him the shivers. He had quickly come to the conclusion that Ginny was 100% right to fear them.

Doing his best to ignore the ghosts, Harry pulled out his dex, smiling despite himself when he saw the e-mail Hermione had sent him. He didn't know how she had been able to pull up the information so fast but somehow she'd managed to send him an entire guide on ghost types. Leave it to her help him out with research even when they were fighting.

According to the article there were three different subspecies of Ghost-Type Pokémon. The first and most well-known were the Formless Ghosts. While they had a standard shape they took on their molecules were the loosest of all Ghost types, allowing them to stretch and squish and go flat or inflate themselves. The Gengar line was cited as an example of those types and it was warned that these spirits, more than any other, loved to torment and prank trainers due to their biology making it hard for them to stay in place for more than a few seconds.

Watching as Rotom made faces behind Remus' back, Harry found himself agreeing.

The next subspecies was the Possessed Ghosts. These Pokémon were the exactly opposite of their Formless brothers: they had very solid forms and at times had been misidentified as other types in the past. They took on a wide array of shapes; they could resemble household items or animals. They were, however, 100% solid matter animated by ghostly energy. This meant that they were able to focus better than the Formless Ghosts and required less of a firm hand when it came to training. That didn't make them any safer than Formless though and many 'hauntings' were actually Possessed Ghosts.

The final type was the most dangerous of them all. The Shelled Ghosts were a blend of Formless and Possessed. They had the same loose molecules the Formless had but used solid matter to give themselves a focal point. These types of Pokémon many times hid their true forms within their casing, waiting until they had sneaked up on their prey before dragging them into their shell. Shuppets, Yamasks, and Drifloons were all examples of this breed. Their unpredictability made them the hardest to train.

Duskulls, Dusclops, and Dusknoirs were Shelled Ghosts. Their outer forms were clothe and masks... their insides a world of torment and pain.

Glancing up to make sure Remus wasn't coming over or the Dusknoirs weren't converging on them, Harry went back to the article Hermione had sent, reading the highlighted section.

_Duskulls and their evolved form, the Dusclops, are not overly dangerous to trainers. The Duskull is too small to do much to even a child, while the Dusclop's wrappings, while frightening to some, make it hard for it to draw in a trainer. Studies have found that the Dusclops are only able to open their fabric cases a few inches due to the unstable nature of their inner ectoplasmic forms. This means that any attempt to draw in large prey would result in the Dusclops disintegrating._

_ It is the Dusknoirs that pose the greatest threat to a trainer. When a Dusclops is able to gather enough energy (such as when traded) and have in their possession certain fabrics that contain the proper molecular structure (what is now referred to as a 'Reaper Cloth'), they are able to stabilize their ectoplasmic forms and evolve into Dusknoirs. This new stable body allows the Dusknoir to hold its shape even when opening its mouth, which is located on what many mistake for their stomachs. The Dusknoir is, in fact, a large head with arms-_

Harry skipped several paragraphs discussing the movement and calls of the Dusknoir line and moved directly to the section that concerned him the most.

_The Dusknoirs of Sevii Island are the most dangerous of the all Dusknoir variants due to their possession of the ability Emotion Manipulation. The Sevii Dusknoirs are able to project auras that alter the emotions of Pokémon and humans. While they have been known to cause victims of this aura to fall into fits of laughter or become enraged, fear is the most common emotion the Dusknoirs will create. This is a type of hunting tactic, as it allows the Dusknoir to paralyze their prey so they might consume it. This consumption, known as the Dusknoir's Kiss, results in the Dusknoir drawing their victim into their cloth shell and draining them of all emotion and thought, leaving them in a blank, emotionless state that ancient Avalonians equated to the destruction of one's soul. There are some that believe these shells are the origins of the zombie myth-_

Harry let out a yelp when a hand landed on his shoulder, the boy leaping nearly 3 feet in the air. He whipped around, panting, only to find Remus staring at him in concern.

"Harry? Are you-"

"I'm fine," Harry said quickly, utterly embarrassed. "I'm fine."

Remus looked as if he wanted to say more but, seeing that Harry would only brush off his concern, decided to just push ahead. "I'm sorry Harry... I tried to talk to Auror Tonks but she refuses to budge." Remus shot the young woman a scathing glare. "Apparently the Lord of Sevii is throwing his weight around and demands to talk to you at once."

"Why me?" Harry asked nervously. He was smart enough to realize that someone who commanded a horde of Dusknoirs might not have his best interests at heart.

Remus clicked his teeth together in agitation. "He claims that since your mother defeated Voldemort and Sevii is holding several of Team Nocturne's lieutenants that he should speak with you."

"But you don't think that is the real reason, do you?"

Remus ground his teeth together. "No, and I want you to be on your guard. If you think for even a moment he is trying anything funny you get Dobby to port you out. If he can't, fight like hell and run. I'm already contacting a few people that owe me favors... I don't have the pull the Lord has but if he wants to try us I'll give him a war."

Harry nodded, feeling a bit better knowing Remus has his back. "Where am I meeting him?"

Remus was a bit happier with that piece of news. "Luckily you don't have to go far. He's using that old farmhouse over there... the owners left for the day and he set up shop. You'll still be in sight of all of us and Zorua will have an ear out for you." Harry quietly thought to himself that while Zorua might be able to hear him the Dusknoirs would not let Remus pass freely.

"Come on, Harry," Auror Tonks said, walking over and playfully nudging his shoulder. "Some of us aren't getting any younger."

Remus shot her enough dirty look before patting the boy on the shoulder. "Don't let your guard down for a second, ok? The Lord of Sevii is a powerful, dangerous man. Treat him as such. Give him respect but never your trust."

"I will," Harry said with a nod before turning to Tonks. "Alright, lead the way."

The young woman smiled and motioning for him to follow her. "Bye Remus," she said with a wink. It was only when they were out of earshot that she laughed. "Merlin, it is fun to tweak that man!" She was chuckling so hard that she didn't pay attention to where she was going and stumbled over a root, only to catch herself before she fell flat on her face. "Don't mind me, a bit of a clutz. So, any idea what the Lord wants to see us?"

"Us?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you and me. Can't be an us without two people, Harry."

"I thought the Lord of Sevii just wanted to see me."

Tonks snorted. "You honestly think my boss would send me all by myself to guard you and deal with the Lord of Sevii? I'm barely out of the Academy and you are Lily Potter's kid! I wasn't even in the top of my class!" The Auror snorted. "She wanted to send a whole platoon but the Lord vetoed that, apparently. The fact that she sent me tells me he picked me out personally... so, any ideas why the big scary Lord of Sevii wants to see you and me?"

"No idea," Harry admitted honestly. "Remus thinks it's a trap."

"Yeah, he told me that. I told him that I can't really just shrug my shoulders and let you all go on your merry way. Not like I control the Dusknoirs. Besides, I have the Minister breathing down my boss' neck which means Madame Bones is breathing down mine. Not a good idea to piss off a member of the Elite Four, let me tell you, Harry." They were rapidly coming upon the farm house and the Dusknoir swarm was growing thicker with every step they took. "Hey, do you have any Pokémon that are good against Ghost types?" When Harry looked her Tonks shrugged. "Just trying to plan ahead. Believe it or not there is a brain in this pretty head of mine."

Harry smiled. He knew he should feel bad for betraying Remus but he found himself liking Officer Tonks a lot. "Eevee," Harry said, casually tossing his Pokéball into the air. Eevee appeared and quickly jumped into Harry's arms. "Normal type but he knows Shadow Ball." He tossed out a second ball and Hedwig flew out, letting out a cry before landing on his shoulder. "Knows Thief," Harry stated.

"Wotcher, Harry, now that is brilliant!" Tonks recalled Rotom and tossed out a second Pokémon. At first glance Harry thought it might be another ghost but he could tell there was something a bit different about the cute little Pokémon... especially when it shifted and its head suddenly resembled a raindrop. "Castform," Tonks said with a smirk. "Trained him myself... everyone assumes that he's just a gimmicky Pokémon, used mostly to show off or entertain kids. But me and Castie here pack some real fire power... and water power."

"Hopefully we won't need it," Harry muttered, though even he didn't believe that statement. The Dusknoirs continued to watch them as they stepped onto the farm house's porch, their red eyes never losing sight of them. While Harry felt a bit better having Eevee and Hedwig with him he knew that in a full on fight he stood little chance of being able to survive the Dusknoirs; their sheer numbers would see to it that they'd be able to crush both him and the auror.

Tonks tilted her head, staring at the door. "So... you think we should knock or something?" The words had barely left her mouth before the door creaked open, allowing them access to the dark farm house. "Ok, am I the only one getting Slasher Film vibes?"

Harry shook his head. "Not just you," he muttered. His hand gripped Ludwig's ball; he didn't want to send out the ghost type, as he wanted to save Ludwig's Invisibility in case he needed an ace in the hole. Tonks flexed her hand before taking a step inside, Harry quickly following on her heels. The two of them jumped when the door slammed shut.

"Did you come alone?" a voice hissed to their right. The two turned and entered the living room, surprised to find the Lord of Sevii sitting there with a casual grace. He was slouched in a recliner, his left hand running along the bone plate of the Houndour that sat obediently beside him. In his other hand he held a strange black Pokéball with a red enlargement pad. He'd tossed aside his long cloak and was wearing a simple black dress shirt and slacks along with the skull mask that hide his face. Long dark hair brushed his shoulders in gentle waves. Though he appeared relaxed Harry could tell that the Lord was powerful and could spring upon them at any time.

"Just the two of us," Tonks said, "just like you asked. Now, mind telling us what you want?" The Lord didn't say a word and Harry squirmed when he realized that the man was staring at him. Auror Tonks growled when she noticed too. "Listen, I get lusting after me but keep looking at the boy-"

"You look just like him," the Lord whispered, his words filled with pain and longing. "Except the eyes... you have Lilyflower's eyes."

Harry trembled at that. "What... what did you say?"

The Lord didn't respond. Instead he reached up and violently ripped the skull mask from his face and tossed it to the side. Harry looked at the deep, soulful eyes, regal bearded face, and twitching, half smiling lips and found himself wondering if this weren't so magic trick. There was simply no way that the man that had been sitting there before in the mask and the fellow in front of them were the same. Everything about the Lord had changed and the fear and nervous tension that had filled Harry evaporated without reason upon seeing the man's noble face.

"To hell with Jack, I can't play this game anymore!" the Lord declared. "Merlin, look at you two... you were barely able to stand up the last time I saw you Harry... and Nymphie! I kept expecting to see the same little tyke that loved piggyback rides to come in here... but time's moved on and you've changed... but I suppose so have I. You've become such a beautiful young woman." The Lord beamed. "But still have to dye your hair, I see! Must give Andy fits!"

Harry glanced over at Tonks and was shocked to see tears streaming down her cheeks. "You... you can't be here... this... this is a trick or a lie..." She trembled with rage and sorrow and relief and found herself unable to move. "I... I don't..."

The Lord held up a Pokéball and, with a simple toss, released a tall and noble Empoleon. The Water/Steel type stood like a powerful sentry beside the laughing Lord. "Is that proof enough for you Nymphie?"

Tonks took a step forward, her arm held out and her hand trembling. It was as if she were afraid the Lord would suddenly dissipate like a fog bank if she got a step closer. The Lord merely held out his arms wide and, to Harry's shock, Tonks leapt forward and hugged the Lord of Sevii tightly.

"Shhh... it's ok, baby girl, it's ok..."

"Sirius..." Tonks whispered.

"Sirius?" Harry said. Eevee and Hedwig leapt away from him, sensing Harry needed to be on his own for the next few minutes.

"In name but hardly ever in personality!" the Lord said with a laugh even as he kept one arm wrapped around Tonks. He looked at Harry and opened his mouth, only to quickly shut it. He did this several times before let out a grumpy 'humrpf'. "I've been trying to prepare myself for this for weeks now and still I'm getting tongue-tied!"

"Let me," Tonks said with a slight hiccup. "Harry Potter... allow me to present, as impossible as it is... Sirius Black."

"Back from the dead, big as life and twice as pretty," Sirius jested.

The world seem to suddenly spin around Harry and when he came back to himself he found himself sitting on the couch, Tonks and the Lord on either side of him. Eevee and Hedwig were looking at him with concern but both could see he was in no real danger. Harry stared at the Lord, taking the time to compare his face to the photos Remus had shown him. The Lord was older than Sirius Black but that was to be expected, what with over 12 years having passed since the last picture had been taken. The beard was new and his hair, surprisingly, was shorter. There were wrinkles around the corners of his eyes and his entire face seemed creased and weathered. But when he looked at Harry, those dark deep eyes locking onto the boy's, Harry knew without a doubt that the man he'd only known through photos and the Lord sitting beside him were one and the same.

This... was his godfather.

Harry instantly had his arms around the man, hugging him tight. In the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't be doing this, as Sirius Black was very much a stranger to him. And yet, just like with Remus, Harry could sense a connection between him and his godfather.

Besides... it felt so RIGHT to be hugging Sirius.

"By Merlin, Harry," Sirius whispered, choking back tears. "I don't even know what to say."

"That's a first!" Tonks said with a laugh.

Sirius was the first to join in with Tonks and Harry was quick to follow them. Soon all three of them we sitting on the couch, gasping for breath as they laughed themselves hoarse. Their Pokémon looked at them like they were mad and Harry found himself thinking that there was a very good chance that they were. How else could he explain sitting next to a cousin he'd never known about and his supposed-to-be dead godfather?

Finally the three of them managed to get some semblance of control, though their chuckles still leaked out every once and a while.

"You have no idea how wonderful it feels to laugh!" Sirius said, gasping for air. "I haven't truly laughed since..." He looked at Harry and the good mood instantly vanished. There was no need for Sirius to finish; they all knew what he was silently thinking. "There is... so much I need to make up for," he finally stated. "So many promises I've longed to fulfill but was too afraid to do." Sirius looked at Harry and for a moment the boy thought his godfather might break down in tears once again. "They told me you were dead. I wallowed in self-pity and despair for 6 years thinking that bastard Voldemort had killed you. When the Sons invaded and Jack made me the new Lord of Sevii I just threw myself into the job to try and hide from the pain." He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "Merlin bless Jack... if he hadn't seen that copy of the Galahad Gazette about you and the Chamber... I might never have left Sevii." Sirius looked over at Tonks and reached out, gathering several strands of her brightly colored hair and letting them spill from his fingers. "The thought of you almost had me come back, Nymphie. I want you to know that. I was a coward though and was so ashamed of failing James and Lily that I... I just couldn't do it. But I came close, baby girl, I came real close."

Tonk sniffed back tears, not thinking for even a second that she should act like the officer she was; it was just so easy to slip back into the role of little girl sitting next to cool cousin Sirius. "What matters is that you're here now. We all thought you dead... so no one isn't without blame."

Harry nodded. "How did you survive...uh..."

His godfather smiled. "Don't even think of calling me Mr. Black, Harry. It is Sirius to you and it always will be Sirius."

The young teen nodded. "Sirius." He tried out the word and found he liked saying it very much; it rolled off the tongue well. "How did you survive? Every report said you died fighting Peter Pettigrew-"

"What?" Sirius said suddenly, his dark eyes suddenly going wild. "Why would I be fighting Peter?"

"Be...because he betrayed my parents," Harry said slowly. "He was the traitor who led Voldemort to Little..." Harry found himself unable to finish in the face of the rage that suddenly coursed through Sirius' features.

"Peter... they think that..." He struggled to regain control of his emotions. It took several moments before he was able to continue. "Harry... Peter Pettigrew was my friend... your father's too. He didn't betray your parents... he died trying to bring the traitor to justice."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: Well… did you see that one coming?

I love introducing Tonks into this story. She is a fun addition and, once again, fits into the idea of giving Harry a support team. My goal is that, by the end of Book 4, Harry will have basically his own 'Justice League' of allies that will be able to help him in the final 3 books take the fight to Voldemort.

Some thought early on I should give Tonks a Ditto but since that was going to Lockhart I went with some other form changers.

And now we have the story really moving away from canon. Sirius has revealed himself to Harry AND Peter isn't the traitor! Again, did any of you see THAT coming?

I posted this chapter a touch early due to developments with the next chapter. Originally entitled 'The Life and Times of Sirius Black', it was going to cover the night the Potters died, Sirius ending up on Sevii, and how he became the Lord of Sevii. Problem is that the first draft is already 9,000 words long and I know it will only get longer so I am splitting it into two chapters: The Fall of Sirius Black and The Rise of Sirius Black.


	6. The Fall of Sirius Black

**Author's note: If you haven't already, make sure to check out the other two stories I am writing currently: A Man of Iron, which is like this story only it has taken Tony Stark and merged his world with that of A Game of Thrones, and Justice League: The Second Chance, a comedy story that sees Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter attacked by a reality warping god who rewrites the world... turning the League into high schoolers who must struggle with homework and horomones (it is a parody of those 'everyone is in high school' fics).**

* * *

_**November 1st, 1981**_

_**12:09 am**_

_**Little Surrey**_

"Move!" Sirius shouted over his shoulder, his wild hair whipping about as he rushed along the dirt trail. Behind him Peter was huffing and puffing but, to his friend's credit, never once did his fellow Marauder slow down. Peter's Ratatta, Wormtail, along with Sirius' Houndour Padfoot, were right beside their trainers, eyes narrowed as they charged towards their prey. The chase had been going on for nearly an hour, with stops and starts and false trails and near misses but Sirius could feel that things were moving towards a close.

His sole focus was on the figure they were chasing. He refused to allow himself to dwell on what had happened, knowing that doing so would cause him to break down in sobs. His grief could wait; vengeance was all that mattered now.

Sirius had first realized that something was wrong when he'd received the phone call from James. Lily and him, along with little Harry, were hiding out on Little Surrey after Voldemort had publicized that he would wipe out the Potter line in retribution for their refusal to join with Team Nocturne. The madman had already made good on his promise by blowing up the Potter Gym in Griflet's Hollow, killing James' parents. Team Nocturne had then attempted to capture the Potters' Typlosions but James had wisely tasked Sirius with securing them overseas. This failure had enraged Team Nocturne and they had begun, in earnest, to hunt down James and his young family.

In the end, the Potters had been forced to flee. Remus Lupin had remained in Avalon, moving about the different Potter family homes in an attempt to get Team Nocturne to avoid learning that James and Lily were no longer in the region. His Zorua would mimic James and Lily's Pokémon, making public displays to help continue the ruse. Several of Lily's friends and her stepbrother had gotten into the act as well, sending out false information in hopes of having Team Nocturne run itself ragged. It was important that Voldemort never looked to Little Surrey. Dumbledore believed that Voldemort would never go to Little Surrey but Sirius and the rest of the Marauders knew that Voldemort would not honor the isolationist treaty Surrey had with the other regions. That's why Sirius and Peter had begun patrolling the shores of Surrey, monitoring any incoming ships and keeping an eye out for any Nocturne members that might and slip onto the island.

'But we failed,' Sirius thought bitterly as he leapt over a short wooden fence and began to charge up a steep hill. 'We failed and James and Lilyflower...'

James had called Sirius several hours ago and asked why Peter was keeping watch over their safe house in his Pokemagnus form. Sirius had felt a cold dread as his eyes drifted over to Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting beside him playing Solitaire.

"GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!" Sirius had screamed over the phone. He would never know if James heard him as, the moment he spoke the words he heard Lily scream followed by the cold, cruel voice of Voldemort commanding his Pokémon to attack.

Peter had instantly leapt up and gone to start their boat up, knowing that something had gone terribly wrong. Sirius had stood there like a fool for ten minutes, the disconnected phone held limp in his hands, praying that they would get there in time. When Peter had shouted that they were there Sirius hadn't waited for the boat to fully stop before he leapt onto the dock, Peter two steps behind him. They'd raced through the sleepy island but it was in vain; the safe house had laid before them destroyed and the Little Surrey police were combing through the wreckage, looking for bodies.

Sirius had dropped to his knees and howled in pain. It had only been Peter's shout that had drawn him out of his stupor and, upon seeing the Raticate attempting to feel the scene, Sirius' pain had been funneled into energy as he raced after the rat.

They'd gone only a block when the Raticate trembled and split back into a human and a Pokémon. Sirius had looked upon the black robes and the golden mask, recognized that they belonged to a Nocturne grunt, and snarled as he charged forward with Peter. Neither knew why the Nocturne fighter had the same Pokemagnus form as Peter but neither truly cared about that. All that mattered was catching him or her. Sirius felt the same tickle in his throat that he got when he bonded with Houndour and spat out a blast fire; he wanted this grunt dead (and he knew he was a grunt; only the higher ups were allowed to replace their masks with Yamasks, which would teleport them away if they were in danger of capture). The traitorous bastard that had killed his friends had led them on a wild chase through Surrey and several times Sirius and Peter had thought they'd lost him only to pick up the figure's trail again and renew the chase.

"He's trapped!" Peter shouted and Sirius instantly realized his friend was correct. The grunt had run up the steep hill, not realizing that they were on the northern most edge of Surrey. The hill was no hill but a cliff with a single old lighthouse sitting at the top. The drop was far and any that took the plunge would be washed out to sea.

"Please don't jump," Sirius said sternly, coming to a stop a few meters away from the cloaked figure. "I'd rather kill you myself than let you drown."

"Such bold talk, Sirius," the grunt said. The Gryffindors instantly realized that whoever the grunt was he was using a voice scrambler to hide his identity. "But then again, you always did shoot off your mouth."

"Show us your face!" Peter called out, gripping a Pokéball.

"Oh, I will," the Nocturne member said with a slight laugh. Sirius was beginning to wonder if this was a grunt after all; all his instincts were screaming that their opponent was stronger than he'd initially assumed. "Though I am surprised you haven't figured out who I am, Sirius..."

Sirius responded pointing at the Nocturne member. "Padfoot, Flamethrower!"

The masked man's Ratatta responded in kind, surprising the two Gryffindors as it unleashed a blast of fire as well. Before Peter could sending out one of his Pokémon their opponent threw out a Pokéball. There was a flash of red light and then a Manectric rushed out, electric sparks running along the canine's blue back and golden mane. The sky opened and a bolt of Thunder lashed out, forcing Sirius and Peter to leap in opposite directions.

"I hope you like him, Sirius," the Nocturne agent said coolly. His Manectric snarled and rushed at Houndour, forcing the fire dog to leap away before the blue beast's fangs could sink into his foreleg. "I got him just for you. I was originally hoping to become a Magnus with him but when I felt the bonding tug from this Ratatta I knew it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Stupid James... he never thought for a moment that there could be another Raticate Pokemagnus... but I suppose he was just like you, failing to see my potential! Manetric, Quick Attack!" The blue canine nodded and rushed forward, lips curled back.

"Padfoot, use Bite!" Sirius called out.

As the two canine Pokémon snip and snapped at each other Peter entered into the fray, calling out his Darmanitan, not wanting to risk his own Rattata against the clearly more versatile one being used by the grunt on its own. "Use Hammer Arm!" Peter shouted.

"Iron Tail!" the Nocturne agent shouted, his head twisting back and forth as he worked on keeping track of both fights. With his mask on Sirius couldn't tell if his opponent was managing ok or was struggling and that was pissing the Gryffindor off. "That's is the problem with you and James, Sirius... you could never see beyond yourselves! You think you understand this world- Thunder!" Manectric threw back his head and called forth another stream of lightning, which struck both Houndour and Darmanitan as well as their trainers, leaving all of them trembling in pain. Sirius could tell that his Padfoot was paralyzed from his bout with the blue beast. "You think you understand this world and your place in it... but your failure is that you looked past too many people, not realizing they were threats. Oh yes, Sirius... betraying you has been so easy... and so delightful."

"Darmanitan, Wormtail, use Hyper Beam and Hyper Fang!" Peter called out as he stumbled to his feet, deciding that now was not the time to battle fairly. The Nocturne agent was forced to leap to the side as his own Ratatta was hit and nearly fell over the edge via the Hyper Beam. Wormtail also launched himself at Manectric and was able to bite down on the blue canine's side, earning a gush of blood for his trouble. However, Ratatta wasn't spared, as electrical sparks raised along Manectric's body as its Static ability caused Wormtail to fall to the ground, paralyzed.

"Well done, Pettigrew, well done," the Nocturne agent taunted as he took a step back. "You managed to wound both my Pokémon. A valiant effort and one worthy of applause. So many mock you and wonder how you ever become friends with James and Sirius here but it is clear you are quite skilled." The figure tilted his/her head. "Sadly... with Padfoot and Wormtail paralyzed and your Darmanitan needing to recharge after that impressive attack... and dear Sirius here still recovering from his own injuries.. there is nothing either of you can throw at me to stop this." The Team Nocturne member took another step back and threw out his arms. "Manectric... Overheat."

Sirius' eyes widened as the blue and gold canine began to fire electricity all long his mane and coat, building up a horrific charge. He could smell the fur burning off the Manectric's coat and could see steam rising from his back as the rain that had begun to fall fell upon his body. The electric-type's internal battery was running faster and faster. But rather than lightning, the Manectric was building up an electrical fire in its belly... one that would take out anything in its path.

Like Sirius.

He watched as Manetric moved towards him, the heat being generated by the cobalt canine's electric fire making him feel lightheaded. Sirius struggled to pull himself up, knowing he had to move, but he found that his limbs simply refused to do what he told them to do. Panic didn't flood his veins, though; no, it was an eerie calm, one that came when a man knew he was about to die. He realized that he and Peter had been foolish to chase after the Team Nocturne agent and that this trainer, who had planned so well to help Voldemort kill James and Lily, had also counted on them racing after him. It had been a trap and they had walked right into it.

"NO!" Peter screamed, rushing at Manectric and tackling him. Sirius tried to scream Peter's name but the words caught in his throat the moment Manectric exploded, engulfing Peter in an inferno. His friend screamed in agony as his skin was charred and blackened by the heat, his blood beginning to cook in his veins from the blast.

Then, just as quickly as it began, it was over. Manectric threw Peter off him, sending the Gryffindor graduate tumbling over to Sirius. The young Black looked at his good friend and was shocked to see that somehow Peter was still alive. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes though, as he realized that while Peter still drew breath that this was not cheating death as much as prolonging its grasp for a few seconds more.

"Why?" Sirius croaked out, reaching out but finding himself unable to take Peter's burnt hands in fear that he would cause his friend more pain.

"Ha...Harry..." Peter managed to get out. His voice came out as barely a whisper and Sirius could tell that forcing the words through his mutilated throat was pure agony for Peter. "He... he needs... you." Peter took in a wheezy little breath that sounded like little more than a rattle. "I'll... tell Ja-Ja-James and Lily..."

And with that, Peter Pettigrew passed away.

Sirius clenched his eyes shut and threw back his head, letting out a scream of anguish. It lasted only for a second before the Team Nocturne member struck him. Darkness quickly consumed him.

_**November 2nd, 1981**_

_**1:13 pm**_

_**Sevii Island**_

Sirius had been waiting for hours for the guards to final bring someone that could tell him what was going on. He'd awoken on a hard cot in a clean, spartan room. The back of his head throbbed and when he'd touched it he'd been horrified to find that a patch of hair had been shaved off and a bandage applied to the exposed skin. He'd winced when he poked at it and realized dumbly that he must have gotten stitches. His limbs ached and he knew right away that he was still suffering from the after affects of the Thunder attack.

The thought of that battle caused all of the events of that horrible night to come rushing back to him. James... Lily... Peter... all dead. Voldemort running free. That Nocturne Agent free, maybe still using his Ratatta to pose as Peter...

Sirius had let out a soul-shattering moan and sobbed until he it hurt. His tears only made his head hurt worse and it wasn't until a doctor hurried in and gave him some medicine that Sirius was able to drift back to sleep. It had been a fitful one though and he'd awoken only an hour later, crying out for someone to tell him what was going on. The guards, while not hostile, had merely told him that he needed to wait. Sirius had ranted and raved but soon realized that the room he was in wasn't a room but a cell... and a sound-proof one at that.

So he'd waited and taken stock. His clothing was all gone and in their place he wore loose gray sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. His shoes and socks and belt were gone and the pants didn't even have a draw-string; he swallowed hard when he realized that was to prevent prisoners from hanging themselves. With his belt gone so were his Pokeballs and, reaching out with him mind, he could not feel Padfoot's presence. For years his Houndour had been a comforting source to him, always nearby to lend him strength. Now it felt like Sirius was missing a limb.

The door opened and a stern man entered. He wasn't a tall man nor was he unusually short, yet Sirius knew that everyone that looked at him would remember his height being vastly different than what it was. His graying hair was slicked back and he wore a thick black horn-rimmed glasses that looked to be 20 years out-of-fashion. The man wore a three piece suit and a small fob watch was tucked in his pocket, a gold chain dangling against his pant leg. He looked down his nose, which seemed a touch too thin for his face and Sirius couldn't help but feel a cold shiver run down his spine.

"Hello, Mr. Black," the man said simply, his voice just as homogenized as the rest of him. "I am Warden Phillip Yorrick." Sirius found himself staring at the warden's lips, which he seemed to be forever sucked into his mouth when he spoke. "Do you know where you are?" Sirius shook his head and the man nodded. "I thought as much. You had quite a bad wound on your head when the authorities brought you in."

"A-authorities?" Sirius croaked out.

The warden nodded, his dark little eyes seeming to pierce Sirius like knives. He smiled a fake smile... or perhaps for him it was utterly real. "You didn't think you could go running about, breaking treaties with Little Surrey, and not be punished, did you? There are laws and all men must obey them, including you."

"I don't... understand..." Sirius said, shutting his eyes.

The warden was silent for a moment, his head bobbing up and down like a tree branch caught in a slight breeze. "It's rather simple, Mr. Black: Little Surrey has a strict Anti-Pokémon policy. They don't want them on their island and the rest of us respect them and their wishes." Warden Yorrick considered Sirius for a moment. "But you, Mr. Black, you not only brought your Pokémon onto Little Surrey but you and the late Mr. Pettigrew had them battle someone. Needless to say, the authorities are rather annoyed with that."

Sirius, for the first time since awakening, managed to find the strength to stand up. "Team Nocturne invaded... Voldemort killed my friends-"

"And they paid with their lives, Mr. Black," the warden said to Sirius' surprise. "Your Voldemort is dead, as are all that came with him. The authorities took care of them... the very men and women you ignored while you tried to take matters into your own hands."

"To stop the one that escaped!" Sirius shouted.

The warden merely looked at him, lips pursed. "Mr. Black, Little Surrey has assured me that they have identified everyone involved in the attack that killed all of the Potters. There was no one else."

"No, Peter and I battled him..." Sirius said in confusion. "Why would we have had a battle if it weren't against a Team Nocturne member, one that had escaped?"

"I honestly don't know, Mr. Black. All I know is you broke the rules-"

Sirius suddenly cut him off, his mind locking onto something the warden had said. "All the Potters?" he whispered.

The warden nodded, trying his best to look sad. "The bodies of James, Lily and Harry Potter were found..."

The warden's words faded away into nothingness. The world seemed to pull away from him and he flooded in an eternal void. James, lily and Harry's faces floated in front of him, looking first healthy and alive and then mutilated and tortured. They flickered back and forth like a bulb struggling to stay lit and Sirius could not pull his eyes away. Off in the distance he heard the warden say something about his sentencing and his stay on Sevii but Sirius found himself unable to muster up the energy to care. Words like '20 years' and '10 with good behavior' tried to grab his attention but Sirius pushed them aside. He didn't even notice that the warden was gone and he had no idea how long he'd been sitting there in the cell all alone, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Nothing mattered anymore. Not his freedom, not his vengeance, not his life.

They were gone.

He'd failed.

Nothing mattered.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: Can I just saw now how hard it is to pick Pokémon for characters that aren't going to appear again? I mean, seriously, I had to pick out Pokémon for Peter knowing he would die here and also knowing once I gave them to him, they would be off the table for the main characters. Such a flippin' pain.

A lot of little hints in this chapter… so I suggest you reread this one carefully, as things mentioned in this chapter will come to play later on.

Poor Peter. Always seen as the weakest of the Marauders and now the second to fall. At the very least all can take heart that in this world Peter died with honor and journeyed to the next life with his head held high… and with James and Lily he felt no shame. Peter Petigrew: Gryffindor, Marauder… Hero.

Next chapter will see Sirius at his lowest… until the island welcomes two new prisoners and invites its own doom.

The Scions of House Kenway are coming… and they might hold the key to Sirius' redemption.


	7. The Rise of Sirius Black

_**April 15th, 1987**_

_**5:53 pm**_

_**Sevii Island**_

"Come on baby, give me a smile!"

Sirius looked up his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Leave her alone, Bronxs." He didn't yell the command or even say it in a stern voice. There was no need to and no point. Bronxs wouldn't risk pushing Sirius on this matter. The man from the Sinnoh region, sent to Sevii for felony robbery, only have 8 months left before he went before the parole board. Getting in a fight would almost certainly see his chances to get out of Sevii sunk. Bronxs might have considered risking it but there was another factor that weighed upon him.

Namely that Sirius Black had nothing to lose and would be completely willing to gain another 20 years to his sentence.

"Just trying to have some fun," Bronxs grunted, looking like a little boy caught trying to sneak cookies before dinner. "Been a while since we got something pretty to look at with our dinner. Foxy go out 4 months ago-"

"And she was willing to play with you. This one isn't," Sirius growled. "Piss off or I'll make sure both of us get neighboring cells in the dungeon."

Bronxs glowered but did as he was told. Sirius, Bronxs, and all the prisoners currently having supper in the dining hall were all housed in the minimum security wing of Sevii. They were the prisoners that hadn't hurt anybody and who had chances to actually leave the island. They got to spend most of their time out of their cells, hanging out in the yard or the prison library and were able to eat all their meals together in the dining hall. For Sirius it brought back memories of Hogwarts and he didn't know if he should feel joy at the memories or sorrow for the fact that his schooling resembled prison life.

The dungeons housed those that were a danger to themselves and others. The rapists, sickos, and killers all got to stay there. They never left their cells, had to wash themselves in a metal sink, got their meals through a slot in their door and had the Dusknoirs patrol the halls, inspiring fear and sorrow in all of them. Prisoners that acted up in Minimum got to spend a day or two in the dungeons and after that it was rare for one to ever do anything again that would land them a second stay.

Sirius had been down there 12 times.

"You didn't need to do that," Kent said.

"Yeah I did," Sirius said.

"Why?" the older man asked. He was built thick, with thinning white hair that had once been a dark brown and weather-beaten skin that was forever tanned. His arms were thick with muscle and though he smiled often, even in Sevii, when he frowned it was as if one were facing a mountain.

"Because if I didn't you were going to beat Bronxs up," Sirius said. "Not that I blame you. The man needs to be hit and he was bothering your wife."

Marie, who'd been holding her husband's hand, nodded in agreement. She had short brown hair that, due to her being unable to dye it since coming to Sevii, had roots of gray. She was not a supermodel but Sirius could tell that she had been beautiful in her youth and now held a dignified grace. "That doesn't mean that you need to risk yourself, Sirius."

The 27 year-old waved her off. "You two have a chance to get out of here... there is nothing left for me out there. Might as well make something out of my life, even if it is monitoring these low-lives."

"You're wrong," Kent said firmly.

"No, I'm not. No one pining away for ol' Sirius Black."

Kent shook his head. "No, I mean about us getting out of here."

"At least not the way you are thinking," Marie added.

Sirius considered the couple sitting with him. Kent and Marie had arrived on Sevii almost two weeks ago and had quickly become a matter of gossip among the inmates. Usually 'new fish' had their whole life story revealed to the masses by lunch but Kent and Marie were an enigma. Sirius didn't even know their last names or why they were sentenced to Sevii and he knew them better than anyone. Husband and wife had joined him after their third day and had politely engaged him in conversation. He'd wanted to brush them off as he did everyone else; Sirius was well known to prefer his own company and refused to make friends with anyone in the prison. However, when he looked at the two he found himself remembering James' parents and couldn't bring himself to try and dismiss the two.

The older couple had been friendly enough without a hint of ulterior motive, which was much appreciated by Sirius. When people ended up in Sevii there was always a period of adjustment that saw them trying to latch onto someone strong and powerful. Though no one from Avalon had been sent to minimum security (Avalon was too busy filling half the dungeon with Voldemort's goons) and thus none knew the power of the Black family name, he still radiated strength and drew in enough suck-ups. Kent and Marie didn't fall in that category and, as strange as it was for Sirius, they soon became his first true friends in six years.

"What do you mean by that?" Sirius asked. He idly wondered if they'd received that same offer from the warden he had. Yorrick had told him a year ago that if Sirius was willing to supply him with some of the Black fortune his parole could be looked into. The Marauder had flatly refused; not out of pride or spite but for the simple fact that there was nothing left in Avalon for him. He was the man that had failed the Potters and Peter and he'd rather spend his days rotting in Sevii than return to Avalon and face the accusations of his friends.

Before the couple could say a word the entire building shook. Several prisoners looked up in surprise and the guards tensed slightly.

"How many people are here because they are innocent?" Kent asked simply, ignoring the rumble.

"All of them," Sirius said. He would have said it a bit glibly, except for the fact that he was still focused on the rumbling going on around them. He thought he could hear something in the distance, some sort of loud boom, but he honestly couldn't tell.

"The same is true of us," Kent continued. "But unlike the rest of you, our records clearly state that."

That drew Sirius' attention to them. "What?"

It was Marie who continued. "We aren't prisoners; we're hostages. We're leverage. Kanto wanted to use us, to hold us to try and get things to play out their way." The lights flickered for a moment before going out and alarms began to scream all around them. "Except they've miscalculated... they thought that holding us here would stay our boys' hands... all it did was motivate them into action. They wanted to make them feel impotent… instead they have brought about their own death. They wanted to bring despair… but now my sons feel only rage."

The doors to the dining hall burst open and Warden Yorrick came running in, along with several guards. Sirius had never seen the warden so disheveled. He looked about with wild eyes, his men gripping their guns till their knuckles were bone white. That instantly put Sirius on edge; only the guards stationed in the high towers carried guns. The rest used Pokémon to control the inmates.

"Grab those two!" the warden screamed, his voice shrill and piercing. Two of the men marched towards Kent and Marie, who calmly stood up and stared down the warden and his men. Sirius rose to his feet, ready to protect the couple, only to receive the butt end of a rifles against his temple for his trouble. He fell to the ground, skull throbbing, his vision blurred. He was able to make out the warden as he stormed forward, his thin fingers griping Kent's chin and forcing the taller man to look down at him. "Tell them to stop... you tell them to stop or I will-"

"You'll what?" Marie said with a laugh. "Kill us? You've seen what happened when you agreed to imprison us here. You think this is rage? Kill us and you will find out what our boys can really do!"

Sirius' head snapped towards the southern wall. The booms had grown closer and now he could hear the sound of gunfire... and the screams of dying men. The entire building trembled and the other inmates scurried towards the opposite end of the hall, several of them falling to their knees and praying. There were no windows in the dining hall so they could not see what was causing the chaos outside but Sirius knew in his gut that it was something... monstrous.

Marie reached over and smacked the warden's hand from her husband's face. "I want you to listen carefully, because these are the last friendly words you are ever going to hear." The southern wall trembled and one of the light fixtures smashed to the linoleum. Cracks formed and Sirius began to shimmy away."I don't know what bribes you took... I don't know what they offered you to hold us... but agreeing to it was the dumbest thing you ever did in your whole life."

To punctuate Marie's point a bell-like roar burst from outside the hall and the southern wall began to crack and break. The light fixtures swayed, the ceiling trembled, and it felt like to all inside the cafeteria that the End of Days was upon them.

"Who the hell are you?" Sirius whispered, staring at the couple.

The man merely smiled. "Kent and Marie Kenway."

"…who?"

The dining hall's southern wall burst apart. Concrete shattered and wiring and steel beams fell to the ground, mangled and twisted. A harsh spring wind blew into the dining hall and the twilight sky was visible to all. But it was none of this that held Sirius' attention. All his focus was on the beast that towered over them all... the one responsible for the destruction.

It was well over 13 feet tall and covered in a muted green hide that looked more like stony armor than flesh. The body was thick and filled with muscle. Its arms and legs were just as powerful. The head smaller than one might expect and if Sirius had to describe it he would say it was almost feline-like. Dorsal plates were just visible, running down the creature's back, stopping just at the base of its club-like tail. The great monster narrowed its eyes, lips curling back to reveal not only the sharp main fangs but also the rows of smaller, irregular-shaped teeth. The creature's body tensed and then it let rip another bell-like roar that had Sirius shivering.

A Tyranitar. Fully grown. A pseudo-legendary. Pissed off.

Sirius fought to control his bowels.

The armored beast stomped forward and Sirius couldn't help but let out a gasp at the scene playing out behind him. The courtyard that all the inmates knew so well was coated in blood and gore. The asphalt was turn up and in the deep gouges lay the mutilated bodies of the guards. To the right another, slightly smaller Tyranitar was shooting out blue-white lightning at a section of wall while two mighty Aggrons, their steel armor gleaming in the light of the blast, pounded another section of the prison with their great fists. In the sky a Volcarona flew about, joined by a Dragonite that nearly rivaled the large Tyranitar in size. They were keeping watch on a group of guards who'd thrown down their weapons and were on their knees, doing all they could to show they were surrendering. Sirius thought for a moment that he was hallucinating when he saw what appeared to be a living tree keeping the Dusknoirs at bay but he knew at once that the vision was real.

"Stay... stay back!" the warden screamed, trying to use Marie as a shield.

"Or what?" a grim voice said. A figure stepped out from behind the Tyranitar's leg and began to make his way towards the cowering warden. The man wore a long brown coat and a red hood was pulled over his head so that only his mouth could be seen. He moved forward smoothly, easily stepping over the rubble like he was on a Sunday stroll through the park. "Please, tell me what grave dangers I now face. I am so very interested to hear what threats you wish to issue." He shook his head. "I know people always speak of courage and valor but without strength to back them up such bravado is rather sad."

One of the guards suddenly rushed forward, drawing a handgun. The figure quickly kicking a table over to serve as a barrier and dove behind it, the guard firing into the wood. He only got off two shots before the ground trembled under his feet and he fell, his weapon slipping from his grip and sliding over to the Donphan that had suddenly appeared in the hall. The gray Pokémon merely stared down the guard before bringing his foot down, smashing the gun. The guard, seeing that another of the guards was moving in on the human intruder, pulled out a long knife and rushed towards the Pokémon.

The hooded man swung out of his hiding spot, ducking down as the second guard lined up his shot and gave the man a vicious punch right to the groin. As the second guard crumpled the invader slammed his fist hard into the man's throat, causing him to let out a weak gurgle before he slumped down. Seeing the Donphan in trouble the man leapt in front of the first guard, two metal sticks falling from his sleeves and into his awaiting hands. He raced forward and Sirius was struck by the man's speed and agility; it was almost as if he were flying rather than running. The first stick struck the guard's hand, breaking his wrist and sending the knife to the ground. The hooded man did not stop however and spun around, delivering a vicious kick to the back of the guard's knee, forcing him to the ground. The guard made a move to grab the hooded man's ankle but this strike was blocked before the man drove his sticks once more at his opponent. There was a sickening crunch and the guard fell to the ground with a gagging scream, his fingers clawing at the bloody pulp that had once been his face. It had been a blur of motion and violence that left Sirius speechless.

"You could have laid down your weapon," the man said almost sadly, flicking bits of blood from his weapons. He coldly circled the screaming guard, prodding and poking him like he was a tender steak on the grill. Sirius found himself wishing he could see the man's face… it would have been so much easier if he could tell what the hooded man was experiencing, what his emotions truly were. "You could have gone home, married your sweetheart, had several kids and died in your armchair an old man. But you had to be bold... didn't you? You threw your life away trying to attack that which is simply beyond you." The hooded man raised his right hand, his lips pulled in a thin frown. "Tell the devil Jack Kenway sends his regards."

CRUNCH!

Sirius looked away, eyes clenched tight as he tried to drive the horror of what he'd just seen.

"You... you monster!" the warden screamed as the guard's body fell to the floor.

"Monster?" Jack said almost playfully, his hood shifting slightly so Sirius could get a good look at the man's hard, cold eyes. "If I am a monster than I am in rather good company. Isn't that right, Mumik?" the Donphan let out a trumpeting call. "You think this was murder, warden? No... that was a lesson. Don't come at me unless you are ready to pay the final price. I come at you prepared for the same." He looked up at the mighty Tyranitar. "Azog, if another guard tries something stupid like that again... vaporize them."

The Tyranitar nodded in agreement.

"Now THAT? That will be murder."

Jack walked slowly over to the warden, his icy blue eyes never wavering as he strode towards the cowering man. Sirius all at once had the impression of some mighty predator moving in for the kill. There was something about Jack that wasn't quite... human. The stride of his step, the tilt of his head... at that moment Jack reminded Sirius more of Padfoot than he did a man.

"How many men have rotted in this damn place because of your greed?" Jack asked the warden. The man was unable to reply, he was trembling so bad. His glasses were barely staying on his face and sweat dripped from the man's brow so badly that it looked to all as if he'd just emerged from a shower. "I know all about you, Phillip Yorrick. I know how you have lined your pockets with the blood money of the most vile and corrupt men and women in this world. How many innocents have you allowed to be held here? How many have been tortured under your care purely because they had made enemies of the powerful? You turned this prison into a house of horrors and used it to line you pocket and then… and then… you dared to throw my father… my mother… in here?" He leaned, the warden's nose touching his. "It ends now. The coins that you have fought so hard to get will be the weights I use to sink you to the bowels of hell!" The warden let out a low, guttural moan before collapsing in a heap upon the floor. Jack glared at him in disgust before turning his head and bellowing, "JONAS!"

The Tyranitar Azog shifted slightly, allowing a second man to hurry in. Dressed in a short blue denim jacket with a gray hood, Jonas Kenway spotted his brother and jogged to him, a Primeape on his heels. Jonas was thinner than Jack, with almost no fat on his bones and only pure, slender muscle running along his limbs. The man's face could have been described as gaunt and his shaggy brown hair made him look younger than his years. Still, Sirius sensed the same strength and power from Jack's younger brother. Upon his back was a rifle and a short sword, the second of which was caked in blood. Two more men, both dressed in jackets and hoods, were a few paces behind Jonas and Sirius knew at once they were his guards.

"Sevii is ours," Jonas said to his older brother. "The lower cells have been secured by Tyrone and the remaining guards that refused to surrender were slain by Clair. Vixen is antsy though… she wanted more bloodshed."

"Then give it to her. Take this piece of filth and march him to the top of the battlements!" Jack said sternly. "I want all of Kanto to see him swing."

"You hear that kids?" Jonas asked. "We're going to have a hanging tonight!"

Azog let out a bellow of victory as the men let out cheers of their own. They quickly grabbed the warden and dragged him away, Mumik letting out a grunt as the man passed. Jack turned towards his parents, his hands going up to remove his hood, unveiling his round face and short blond hair. Marie stepped forward and hugged her boys while Kent merely nodded to them.

"I knew you'd come," Marie whispered. "I knew you were still alive, Jack."

"I... I have much to tell you all," Jack said, his tone softer than it had been when he'd first entered.

Marie reached up and touched his cheek. "You've changed... you aren't the son that left me."

"But I am the son that came back," Jack said quietly. His mother smiled and kissed him gently on the check.

"We have much to discuss," Jonas said calmly. "What do we do with the prison now?"

Jack shook nodded, his cold mask slipping back into place. "The guards that surrendered will not be harmed. They were smart and will be rewarded with their lives. Those that fought us will be gathered until we can determine if any of them fought for honor rather than to protect their secrets. That will determine how long they get to live."

"And the prisoners?" Jonas asked, his tone making it clear that his opinion wouldn't lead to many of them making it out of Sevii alive.

"There are good men here," Kent said, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Sirius was a friend to us and helped us when he could."

Jack pulled away from Sirius and looked at him once before extending his hand. "Then I owe him a debt I look forward to paying."

Sirius, after a moment of hesitation, clasped Jack's hand with his own.

_**September 23rd, 1987**_

_**2:14 pm**_

**Viridian City**

Sirius ran his arm over his brow, wiping the beads of sweat that had gathered just above his eyes away. It was unusually warm for fall but that wasn't why he was sweating. Since dawn he had been in the thick of battle, shoulder to shoulder with his allies as they stormed the gates of Redstone, the great ancient fortress of the Kanto region that overlooked the valley that led from Viridian to Victory Road. The battle had been intense and though this wasn't his first it still left him gasping for air and feeling like his heart was going to burst from his chest. In Avalon battles tended to be lightning raids that saw Nocturne agents attack without warning and flee at the first sign of trouble. The last few months Sirius had spent on the front lines had been hours of battle, where potions were tossed about quickly and one did not stop until both trainer and Pokémon were down. He'd been forced to keep most of his Pokémon in their balls, knowing that they would lack the speed needed for such a battle. So, instead of his Empoleon Sirius had used the Duskskull he'd captured on Sevii to aid him in battle. Some looked at him strangely for using him but the little guy and him had bonded.

A wind picked up a bit, offering some relief, but still Sirius wished to just sit down and not move for the next 20 hours. He knew though that this desire would have to wait, as the victory they had won demanded a touch of the dramatic. Sirius shifted, rolling his shoulders and watched on as Jack stood on the battlement of Redstone, an escrima stick in his right hand and a flag pole in the left. Sirius rolled his eyes at Jack's grandstanding. 'You don't want them to call you 'King Jack' but you do a piss poor job of not giving them a heroic image to latch onto.'

"Many times during this long war Kanto counted us out! Thought us defeated and broken!" Jack shouted. "They claimed us beaten when they drove us from New Bark! We responded by taking the Ghost right from under their nose!" The Sons who were in Jonas' squad let out a bellow of approval. "They thought they had us routed on the shores of the Lake Rage! We showed them rage alright... the rage of true born Johto daughters, who threw away their skirts and flowers and took up the guns of war! Vixen and her loves showed those weak little men what a true Johto woman can do!" A band of strong, tall women who looked much like the Amazons of myth reborn, pumped their fists in the air as they remembered their first victory in the war. "They thought me dead, lost in the deep caves of Whirl Island!" Jack sneered. "But I rose up from the darkness and brought with me a power so great it makes all in Kanto tremble! If I am dead then let them see me as the Reaper coming to claim their souls!" Now all the Sons were bellowing and shouting Jack's name. He held his escrima stick up high and looked upon them all with pride. "I wonder what they will say now. I wonder what lies they will tell themselves. For what else can they do? For the proof of our strength is here… for above Redstone now flies the flag of Johto!"

Jack lifted the pole high and the warriors went into a frenzy, chanting "Johto! Johto! Johto!" The flag, depicting Lugia flying over the Dark Mountains, billowed in the breeze and Sirius felt as if a great weight was pressing upon him as the roaring crowd screamed out their victory.

Within moments metal baskets were brought out and all manner of beer that had been secured from Redstone's supply cellar was passed around. Sirius happily accepted a glass and smiled as Jack walked up to them, a grin on his face and two cans of pop in his hands. It still made Sirius laugh that Jack and Jonas were suck teetotalers when it came to spirits.

"Remember this day well little brother," Jack said, handing Jonas a can before cracking open his own. "Cuss today… life is sweet."

Jonas, in a rare show of emotion, grinned and toasted with him brother and Sirius. They moved towards the outer wall and watched as the Sons celebrated the victory. It had been a hard fought battle and there were times that Sirius was sure they would lose and be driven out of the valley and into the Viridian Forest. But these men and women, who had been facing loyal soldiers attempting to protect their home, had been driven by the wounds of years of oppression and had managed to overtake the Kanto warriors and claim Redstone as their own.

It was... breathtaking.

Jonas took a long sip of his drink, savoring the cold soda as it flowed down his throat. "They'll make children memorize that speech, Jack."

The blond rolled his eyes. "They better not. They make this war too much about us."

"Us?" Jonas said with a laugh. "Jack, this is your war." He held up his hand as his brother made to retort. "I know, I know... you don't see it as such but there is a reason they call this Kenway's Rebellion."

Jack pursed his lips. "The war may be mine but the victory is all of ours... every son and daughter of Johto claims this victory."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Just those of Johto?"

"Just them," Jack said with a smirk before reaching out and clasping Sirius' shoulder. "But you are a son of Johto now."

Sirius nodded, reaching down the lightly rub the little black 'j' that was tattooed on his wrist. He'd gotten it down three months after leaving Sevii, feeling that he owed the Sons for pulling him out of the pit of depression that he'd wallowed in for the last six years. The war had given him a chance to do good once again, to have allies and friends. Jack and Jonas had come to rely upon him, seeing that Sirius had a cunning mind and a way with traps and surprises. Sirius more than once had spotted a trap set by the Kantoians and had saved the Sons just in time. Now, five months into his time in the war, Sirius was a member of the Inner Circle, his word valued just as highly as Jack or Jonas'.

Sirius took a long sip of his beer. The Kenway brothers had surprised him. When he'd first met them he had found the two to be deadly, dangerous men that made him nervous. And they were that, of course, Sirius wouldn't deny that. But he also found them to be noble and kind, in their own way. They led from the front, with Jack always the first to charge into battle and Jonas refusing to leave until every Son was out of harm's way. They were passionate men who loved their region… more so than Sirius could ever love Avalon, much to his shame. They were patriots who fought for their freedom and Sirius couldn't begrudge them that. In a way, they and the Sons were a blend of the Order of Moltres and Team Nocturne. The Johtoans were fierce, violent men and women that saw no problem terrorizing their enemies. Sirius had been shocked when Jack beat a Kanto official to death and had considered leaving then and there. What had stopped him had been Jack's wife, Clair, and the words she told him.

"_In war you cannot worry about your foe. If they surrender then you show them mercy… but for those that refuse to bend to you they must be wiped away… it does no good to march forward if you leave knives to stab you behind your back."_

The Sons had ethics and a code of honor like the Order but while Dumbledore had preached using only the slimmest amount of violence the Sons left nothing off the table. Sirius could never imagine Dumbledore authorizing an airship like The Ghost to fire on a Team Nocturne stronghold… something Jonas had ordered only days ago to secure them a path to Redstone.

'_And would James and Lily be alive now if we had shown such backbone?'_ Sirius had thought to himself.

That is why he'd gotten the tattoo. That is why he had said the words of promise, pledging himself to the Sons and swearing to live or die by their fate. Because in the end he found himself agreeing with the Sons and their quest. Their home had been stolen from them… and he would do what he could to help them take it back.

"What is your next move?" Sirius asked. He was leaning against the battlement, looking out over the valley as the sun hung high in the sky.

"Victory Road is a fool's errand," Jonas said. "That maze would be our death. We'll take the Ghost and fly to its peak and to the Pokémon League."

"And then?" Sirius asked.

"I end the war," Jack said sternly. "One way or another."

"There is no 'another'," Jonas commented. "You will win, simple as that." When Sirius merely stared at the two Jonas glanced at Jack, who gave a small nod. "This is the last battle the Sons will fight in. The fate of Johto lies with Jack."

"I don't understand."

"Lance Blackthorn contacted me," Jack said, spitting out his rival's name. Lance and Jack, Sirius had learned, had once been friends but found themselves on opposites sides of the war. Lance was the Headmaster of Daggertooth, Kanto's trainer academy, and had been selected by their Minister to lead their forces. Jack had declared Lance a traitor to his native Johto and given all of Lance's possessions that had remained in Blackthorn town to Lance's cousin Clair… who happened to be Jack's wife.

'Those must be some awkward family reunions,' Sirius thought before speaking. "What did Lance want?" Unlike the brothers and the rest of the Sons, Sirius could manage to say Blackthorn's name without making it come out like a curse.

"A battle. He and I will fight, one on one… with the fate of the war in the balance." Jack took a sip of his pop and sighed. "Lance wants to pit his Dragonite against Azog."

"Can you win?" Sirius asked.

"Oh course he can," Jonas said firmly.

"I win even if I lose," Jack answered.

"And by that…" Sirius pressed.

"I'll be in chains if I lose… and I swore never to be captured. I'll take as many of them out as I can before they put a bullet in me." The way he said it made it clear to Sirius that this wasn't a jest; Jack planned to go out in a blaze of glory if he lost the battle… and mostly likely kill as many members of the Pokémon League as he could if he failed. "And just because I promised to surrender doesn't mean Jonas will."

Sirius smiled weakly. "Should I mention you were captured in Celadon?"

"That was part of the plan!" Jack complained.

"Still counts."

"Bastard."

"Should have left me on Sevii," Sirius said with a laugh. And by Merlin, how good did if feel to laugh again.

"I've actually meant to talk to you about that," Jack stated. "Sevii has done well on its own but I need someone I trust running it."

"And that's you," Jonas said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow but Jack held up his hand. "Before you crack wise I would remind you that you were given chances to leave by the warden but didn't want to. You stayed." Jack looked away from the former Gryffindor. "I understand why, Sirius… and I never expected you to go home. I suggest this only because I think it would help you… give you a place to go and a task to do so you don't wander off and die in a desert somewhere."

Sirius set his now empty can down, Jonas already motioning for someone to bring him another. Jack's words had hit home and he wondered how his friend had figured out what Sirius' plans were. Kenway was right… Sirius was never going back to Avalon and though he fought for Johto it wasn't his home. He couldn't see himself making a life there. Sevii, as twisted as it sounded, was the only thing he had that could be considered a home.

"Warden Black, huh?"

"Actually, if we win I plan to change the title," Jack stated. "You'll be the Lord of Sevii."

"You can do that?" Sirius asked.

"I'm the Leader of the Sons of Johto… I win this battle against Lance and I can do whatever the hell I want."

"King Jack, huh?" Sirius said, knowing his friend hated that name. When Jack scowled Sirius quickly held up his hand. "Ok, not king… but you do need a better title."

"Jack is fine."

"Not for a hero," Jonas said, adding his two-cents. "They call me the Fist of Johto, Jack… Clair is the Lady of Dragons. Now Sirius will be the Lord of Sevii. Our warriors want their leader to have a title and if you don't pick one they are going to hang 'King Jack' on your head. History will demand you have a title." 

"I am open to suggestions," Jack grumbled.

Sirius had been thinking on this matter himself and decided now was the time to speak. "We are the Sons of Johto… but Johto herself is being reborn thanks to you, Jack."

"And?" Jack said.

"Father," Sirius stated. "You aren't the king… you are the Father."

Jonas nodded, smiling slightly. "The Father of Johto."

"The Father of Johto," Jack murmured. He lifted up his pop can as Sirius cracked open another beer. "The Father of Johto."

"The Fist of Johto," Jonas stated.

"The Lord of Sevii."

The three friends toasted each other once more.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long delay. I am on vacation and a few family matters came up that have prevented me from posting this chapter. My mother is in the hospital with pneumonia after her bone marrow transplant a few months ago so I have been juggling trying to keep updated on that and editing this chapter. Don't worry, from what I hear she will be ok soon but honestly it has taken me much longer to get this one edited than it normally does. But hopefully the length of it will make the wait worth it!

Marie and Kent… two fun minor characters that won't be showing up much, if at all, again. Still, it was nice to include them if only because it shows that Jasmine Kenway, unlike pretty much every character except Neville, has grandparents that are still alive.

I warned you all in the first book that I was going to be playing with sizes of Pokémon. Charizard is only five foot something. I am six foot one in my bare feet… in my boots I am well over 6 foot 2, almost 6 foot 3. No way am I a foot taller than Charizard. So some Pokémon will be bigger, some smaller. Case in point: the Tyranitar. No way could I keep them at their small, 7 foot size. Tyranitar is the Godzilla of Pokémon and he needs to be huge. Not city-crushing size but enough to break into a prison.

We've seen Jack be the man that restrained Sirius and we've heard about how Jack is dangerous and deadly. We know he's killed and we saw hints of him being an assassin. But this is the first time we truly see Jack kill. I wanted to show that his success in the war wasn't just because he is a Speaker. Jack was a Pokémon Tracker, one of the best, and he spent several years almost exclusively in the wild, fending for himself and fighting off dangers. This has made him into a killer… especially against foes that aren't expecting him. It will be very interesting to see how he handles himself against a true opponent like Team Nocturne's lieutenants… men and women trained to fight like he fights, not just with Pokémon but with their hands and their fists.

Jonas and Jack make a great pairing. Jack is the emotional of the two… he is the one that will react in anger. Jonas tempers him… he is the cold one, the terminator that can march in and dominate a battle field. Yes, he has a softer side and a playful side but when in battle he is stone while Jack is the sea.

The Kenways fight in the same style as Captain America: Fast attacks, quick rolls and dodges, moving in close when they can and ending their opponents fast.


	8. A Traitor In Their Midst

_Author's Note: My apologizes for the long delay. As I stated in another update, my mother is right now in the hospital and I am trying to visit her on each of my days off. I had this chapter done for a while but I never had the time to do the editting. Anyway, here it is!_

* * *

Harry didn't know what to think as Sirius finished his tale. Every emotion that he'd ever felt in his life seemed to be flowing through him at that moment, making him feel dizzy and foggy from the sheer emotional upheaval. He felt extreme joy at the knowledge that his godfather was alive and well, sitting in front of him at long last and actually wanted a relationship with him. He felt regret at all the times he'd spent cursing Peter Pettigrew's name; to know that the poor man had remained a friend and ally of his parents till the very end made all his earlier hatred for the final member of the Marauders feel like heavy chains upon hung upon his shoulders. He felt remorse that he would never be able to apologize to the man and despair that Sirius had been so badly treated.

There was anger too, potent and fiery, coursing through his veins. Someone had kept his godfather from him and cursed him to live with the Dursleys. Prof. Dumbledore had explained how much he and Remus and many other people in Avalon had fought to try and return him to his home but had failed due to international law. Only Sirius had been named his guardian by his parent's will and as such his Aunt Petunia had held stronger claims to him than anyone else. How much better would Harry's life had been if Sirius had been there to claim him as his own and raise him in Avalon? Harry scowled at that, hands clenched together as he thought about what he'd do if he found the true Potter traitor. His mother, his father, his godfather and so many others in Avalon... all were taken from him because of that figure.

And yes, while he was thrilled that Sirius was alive and well there was also a touch of confusion, concern, and fear over what Sirius had done during the years since that fateful Halloween night. His godfather had become a killer, fighting side by side with the Sons of Johto. He'd seen war and even if he weren't involved those that he now called friend had done horrible things. Harry tried his hardest to ignore his traitorous thoughts that bubbled up; he wondered if it weren't perhaps a good thing that he hadn't know Sirius was alive, as it might prove safer for him to avoid his revolutionary godfather.

He looked at Sirius from the corner of his eye and saw how the man seemed to curl in on himself now that his tale was done. It was clear that while he held pride in what he had done to help free Johto he was scared of what Harry and Tonks would thing... and feared they would reject him for his choices. Shame replaced all of Harry's other conflicting emotions; who was he to judge his godfather? Sirius had gone through things Harry could never understand and he had no right to condemn the man.

It was Tonks who reacted first, wrapping her arms around the old dog and giving him a hug. "None of that matters, Sirius! What's important is that you are here now!"

Harry quickly nodded, realizing that his silence was hurting Sirius worse that the blows he'd suffered from the traitor. "She's right. You did what you had to do."

Sirius, however, held up his hand and stopped Harry from going any further. "No. As much as I'd like to claim that, that I did what I did only to survive, it isn't true. Helping Jack and Jonas wasn't something I needed to do but something I wanted. The choices I've made... I won't let you cast them aside by claiming that I 'needed to do them to'. Did joining the Sons save my life? Of course, but not in the way you think." He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Your dad was my best friend Harry. He saved me from... well, let's just say that the Black family wasn't one to play on the side of the angels. Our history was full of dangerous men and women that sought out power and control. They make the Sons of Johto look like pixie fairies. Murder, betrayal, backstabbing, open theft... these aren't the Black Family's secrets but their prideful codes of conduct. For eleven years I was told about what my duties were to the family and what was expected of me.

"When I got on the train for Hogwarts... Merlin, if I hadn't chosen the cabin I did I could have ended up like that prick Lucius Malfoy, caring only about my station in life and trying to find ways to take from others in order to better my standing. But instead of picking the cabin to the right I picked the one to the left and there was your father with his messy hair and glasses thicker than yours. Oh, he grew into his looks Harry and before we graduated he had only yours truly standing in his way of being the most desirable male in Hogwarts-" At that Tonks coughed, which sounded suspiciously like the word 'bullshit'. "But back then he was just this small, scruffy looking thing. And I just stared at him and he said, with a cocky little smirk, 'Well well well... the first classmate I get to corrupt.'." Sirius smiled at that. "And did he ever. Your father opened up my eyes Harry and before that train ride ended I knew for a fact that there was no way I was going to be a Slytherin... not when James Potter had already decided to be a Gryffindor."

Tonks frowned. "Decided? Slowking-"

"Let's you pick, if you have a strong enough will. James should have been in Slytherin... Slowking fought with him for about 2 minutes on that before it finally let him be in Gryffindor. The way James tells it he finally argued that no true Slytherin would ever pick to be in Slytherin because that is advertising you are cunning."

Harry smiled at that. "Slowking said I could be in any house... I'm not sure if I picked or he was just guiding me towards the answer he wanted but in the end I was a Gryffindor."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Some of us did it the correct way."

"Where's the fun in that, Nymphie?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows at her. The girl glared at him and Sirius merely laughed even harder.

"Is there a point to this or are you just trying to annoy us?" Tonks finally asked with a huff, which got Sirius laughing again at the idea of a 'Huffing Hufflepuff'.

Sirius wiped away a tear and sighed happily, glancing over at his godson. "I don't think Harry is annoyed. Are you kiddo?"

Harry glanced at Tonks and smiled weakly. "Remus taught me never to disagree with a woman if I wanted to live to see adulthood."

"And that is why Remus is the smartest of us all. Probably why he's the only one to make out of the war out of the four of us." Sirius smiled but it was weaker and not as bright as the one he'd worn moments earlier. "The point is... James Potter changed the entire direction of my life and without him I don't want to even consider what kind of git I would have become. He was my rock... and when he died I was lost and adrift. If I had known you were alive Harry I think that would have been enough but with nothing left of your father in this world... I probably would have killed myself if I weren't scared of meeting him on the other side and having to explain why I failed him." Sirius licked his lips, looking down at his boots. "If Jack and Jonas had recruited me I think I would have either spent my entire life on that island..." Sirius trailed off but there was no need to ask him how that statement would have finished. "They gave me a purpose and kept me sane and smacked me across the back of the head when I got too gloomy. They were my friends when I needed friends the most and for that I will never degrade what I did for them in return by claiming I didn't want to help."

"Well, glad they were able to do that when we couldn't," Tonks said, lightly bopped Sirius' head with her fingers.

"But now you have us!" Harry declared.

"That I do, kiddo."

"Just imagine how everyone is going to react when we tell them you're alive!" Tonks said with delight.

Sirius, however, did not share her joy. "We can't tell them."

Harry and Tonks stared at the man, dumbfounded.

Seeing their confusion Sirius held up his hand, silently begging them to give him a moment to explain his rational. "There is nothing more I'd love to do than reveal that I am alive and rub it in Lucius Malfoy and his ilks' noses that I survived. And believe I will one day. But not just yet... not with that grunt still out there."

Harry blinked in confusion. "The grunt?"

"The traitor who killed Peter and led Voldemort right to your mum and dad. He's still out there somewhere and until I find him he'll be a threat to us all."

"Sirius, no," Tonks said firmly. Harry realized that it wasn't just Nymphadora Tonks, cousin of Sirius Black talking but Auror Tonks, member of the Avalon Police Force. "Let the government deal with that! Once you tell them the truth they will be tumbling over each other wanting to find the traitor first. There will be manhunts and bounties and-"

The Lord of Sevii let out a bitter laugh, cutting her ramble off. "Oh, how I wish I was still as naive as you, Nymphie." He shook his head sadly. "Tonks, Lucius Malfoy was one of Voldemort's most trusted lieutenants. He led raids on the Order of Moltres and killed all in the name of his master. Everyone knows this and he has never once denied it. Is he rotting in a cell right now? Was he condemned to Sevii?"

Tonks shifted uneasily. "Ok, you have a point, but that doesn't mean-"

"Goyle, Crabbe, Nott, Parkinson." Sirius ticked each name off. "Those are just four of the families who openly declared themselves for Lord Voldemort. All of them are still around, free to do what they like because they were able to claim that they were forced and threatened to aid Voldemort or that Team Nocturne ran a smear campaign against them, making them out to look like murderers and thieves when in 'reality' they were duped into aiding Team Nocturne and didn't realize until it was too late what their motives were. You honestly want me to trust the government who lets half of the senior leadership of Team Nocturne not only walk around free but gives them rewards?" Sirius growled in anger, hands balled into fists. "James and Lily died and the Avalon government's response was to give Lucius bloody Malfoy, a member of the group who murdered them, a gym of his own and let him take James' spot as leader of the gym leaders!

"If it were just stupidity... well, I might be willing to forgive stupidity. I've done plenty of stupid things myself. But no... no... it isn't just stupidity but corruption and greed that runs through the heart of Avalon's government." Sirius stabbed his finger against the couch. "Do you know who gave the most to Cornelius Fudge's campaign for reelection last time he ran? Lucius god-damn Malfoy, that's who! That bastard has the minister wrapped around his little finger and has enough of the Gym Leaders in his pocket to ensure that they vote as he wants. I would probably last maybe a week after 'returning from the dead' before they found some way to pin James and Lily's deaths on me. Hell, that's assuming they would even recognize me as Sirius Black and not some imposter!"

"It can't be all that bad..." Tonks said desperately. It was clear to Harry that she didn't want to have the governing body she was now an employee of be some evil, wicked thing that would harm someone she cared about.

Harry kept his mouth shut. He remembered well how Fudge had sucked up to Lucius and allowed the Head of House Malfoy to bully Hermione into being interrogated right in the middle of the Great Hall. He also remembered all too well that it had been Lucius Malfoy's actions that had seen Voldemort's spirit return... and how he'd tried to still claim Zygarde as his own after the fact. Harry's life had not been a kind one and any blinders he might have had were long ripped way.

So, instead of countering Sirius' claim, Harry instead tried a different approach. "There must be someone else you can get to help you? Remus or Prof. Dumbledore-"

Sirius shook his head. "Harry... Harry, no. The only people on Avalon that I want to know about me are all in this room."

"Why?" Tonks asked in confusion.

"Because I can't trust anyone but you two. It would be smarter not to; my original plan was to keep my identity a secret from even you." Seeing Harry revving up to defend Remus Sirius held up his hand, begging to be allowed to explain. "We have no idea who the traitor is."

"Not Remus," Harry said firmly.

"I don't think it is him either but I can't rule it out." It was only his tone, which made it clear that Sirius did not like thinking such things about his old friend, that kept Harry from firing off defensive retorts. Remus had given the boy the love and comfort and security long denied to him by the Dursleys and Harry wasn't about to think the man was anything less than a saint... or allow anyone else to think that either. Still, no matter how much loyalty Harry had towards Remus, he had to admit that Sirius had a point: they just didn't know for sure. And even though Harry was willing to bet every pokedollar he had on Remus not being the traitor, he understood that Sirius needed to ere on the side of caution.

Tonks crossed her arms over her chest. "I still don't like it."

"I don't like it either, Nymphie, but there are a lot of things in the world I've learned to live with that I don't like." Sirius rubbed the heels of his palms against his eyes, letting out a weary sigh as he did so. "The traitor could be anyone. The fact that he-"

"Or she," Harry pointed out. "It could have been a woman who was disguising her voice."

"Wonderful, we can't even nail down the gender!" Tonks said, flailing her arms in the air in exasperation.

"-he or she dressed like a grunt and never revealed their face, even when there was a chance to gloat, tells me that this is someone who didn't want the world to know they were part of Team Nocturne."

"Or they just wanted to make you over think things," Harry chimed in.

"Stop doing that!" Tonks complained.

"The point," Sirius said, taking back control of the conversation, "is that it literally could be anyone I know. The traitor said they know me-"

"But maybe..." Harry saw the way Tonks was glaring at him and wisely decided to shut his mouth and stay quiet.

"-and his or her actions made it clear that this was personal. It could be one of my classmates or a member of the Order of Moltres or someone I met during the war. There is no way to know until I uncover his or her identity and until then I can't trust anyone. Yes, most likely Dumbledore isn't the traitor... but his barber could be. Remus probably isn't the traitor but his girlfriend-"

"Remus doesn't have a girlfriend."

"He doesn't?" Sirius asked in surprised. "Seriously? By Merlin, does that man want to die a virgin or something?"

"Focus," Tonks said, rolling her eyes.

Sirius nodded. "Right. The point is that not only to protect me but to protect all of Avalon we need to keep this a secret. The moment it comes out that I am alive the traitor will either come gunning for me or go underground and I'll lose the chance to avenge James, Lily and Peter."

Harry and Tonks looked at each other, considering Sirius' plea, before finally relenting. They didn't like it in the slightest but they understood that Sirius' plan might be the only way they could catch the traitor and ensure that Sirius could resume his life in Avalon once more. "Ok, we'll do it your way."

"Thank you," Sirius said with a slight smile. He looked t Harry for a moment, his eyes roving over the boy and committing his image to memory. "You have no idea how much I want to stay, kiddo, but I need to get going and you do too. We've already stayed way too long and soon people are going to ask even more questions than they already are."

"What will you do now?" Tonks asked as Sirius put his skull mask back on and recalled Empoleon and Padfoot.

"The Lord of Sevii is going to tour Avalon for a bit before returning to his island," Sirius stated. "I am going to use my time to gather as much information about the end days of the war and try and figure out exactly who did what. The whole thing is a spider web and sitting right in the middle will be the traitor. I need to chance the strands though before I can consider making a more aggressive move." He stood up and placed a hand on Tonks and Harry's shoulders. "But I will be around and I will be keeping an eye on you when I can. I have some powerful friends now and they will be helping me too. Jack and Jonas still owe me a few favors and I am willing to owe them some as well if they can help me figure this all out. The important thing you two can do is act normal and not go off the handle trying to figure things out for me." He gave harry a long stare, the boy squirming a bit. "I was young and a Gryffindor once too... and I've read about your adventures, Harry. For me... try and behave."

"Remus made me promise the same thing," harry said with a slight smile. "Then the Chamber of the Unown opened."

"So in other words I'm screwed?"

"Pretty much," Harry said with a much bigger smile.

"Bugger." Sirius checked himself over before nodding. "Know that I love you both and I will do all I can to end this as soon as possible." Tonks and Harry gave their own goodbyes and then, with a swish of his long coat, Sirius Black departed, leaving two of the most important people in his life behind.

"So… what the hell do we do now?" Tonks asked.


	9. Fear Itself

Author's Note: I am beginning this chapter doing something I don't like doing. I don't want to come off as egotistical or seem like I am trying to get attention or, God forbid, this is an attempt to get reviews. It isn't that. This is… someone who is very sad and suffering from an aching heart reaching out to others.

My mother, last May, was diagnosed with leukemia. She got a bone marrow transplant in September and seemed to be on the mend. The doctors were shocked at how well she was doing and she looked to be regaining her strength and returning to normal.

And then, about a month ago, she began to suffer from red, itchy eyes. Then a cough that left her shaking. So she was taken to the hospital and they began to work to help her. Now… now she is on a ventilator, heavily sedated… and the doctors don't know what is wrong with her. They only know her lungs are inflamed. Some think it might be graft vs. host. Others a weird infection. She isn't getting worse but she isn't getting better and the fear is that her organs will begin to shut down. If that happens… I'll lose my mom.

I ask this of each of you: if I have brought you enjoyment, laughter, smiles, excitement, and entertainment, please take this moment to repay me… by praying for my mom. Pray that she gets well and that my family doesn't lose her. At this point… I will take any help and hope I can get.

Again, I apologize for starting this chapter this way. I am not looking for attention. I just… don't know what else to do. This is a tale I cannot control, can not affect the ending… and it has me scared.

Thank you for listening and I pray that, in time, I can delete this message and proclaim her well. Thank you again.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So, how awkward is this going to be for ya?" Ron asked, nudging Harry's shoulder with his own.

"Depends on how Remus is feeling," Harry said as he walked towards the Pokémon Battles classroom, Ron and Neville on either side of him. Flora, for once, was in her Pokéball as Neville had decided that he needed to get her used to traveling that way. It had been alright for her to remain out of her ball when she had been a Bulbasaur and thus small enough to be held in Neville's arms but her new bulk as an Ivysaur gave her a much larger footprint. It would only get worse when she reached her final form; Venasaurs were not meant to roam around halls of Hogwarts. When Neville graduated Flora would spend most of her days either at the Lucian City Gym or holding court at Longbottom Manor, ruling over the other Bulbasaurs and Ivysaurs that were raised by the family. But for now Flora needed to get around cramped quarters and a Pokéball was the best way to go.

"What?" Neville asked. "You mean like if Remus treats you all coldly and stuff because he doesn't want to come off as giving you preferential treatment?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm more scared of him showing slides of my baby pictures to the entire class and calling me Pronglet." Ron laughed at that while Neville merely smiled. Harry, for his part, was just glad that he was able to have a conversation with his friends without feeling like a total liar.

It had been two days since he had met his godfather for the first time and Harry felt as if they were in the longest 48 hours of his life. When he'd returned to the train Remus had instantly been on him, questioning him and making sure that he was okay. Harry had kept all his answers as short as possible and wrapped as much of the truth as he could around his lies. He'd learned well watching Dudley get away with everything and anything that lies rolled off the tongue easier if they started with truth and were covered with it as well. He told Remus that the Lord of Sevii had met with him and they had discussed several things. The Lord, according to Harry, was investigating some rumors he'd heard about attempts to reform Team Nocturne and how there were some prisoners offering information in exchange for having time commuted off their sentences. The Lord, according to Harry, wanted to see if some of the information the prisoners had given up was genuine and since pieces of it pertained to himself, the Lord had decided that it was best just to go right to Harry himself.

It was hard for Harry to tell if Remus believed him or if he was merely keeping quiet, waiting for Harry to decide when he could confide in him. It hurt the boy to be caught in the middle of Sirius and Remus but he hoped that in the end all the lies and secrets would be wiped away and everything would work out in the end.

"I wonder why Hermione is sitting there," Neville said as they entered the classroom and spotted the bushy-haired girl. Instead of sitting in her normal spot, namely the table near the front of the class that had the best view of the board and the professor's desk, Hermione had chosen to sit in the far back, in the 'slacker section' as she'd once called it. Parvati and Lavender seemed just as surprised that Hermione had chosen to sit behind them; they kept looking at her as if they were waiting for a Weasley Twins prank to suddenly fire off. The only thing that kept all the students from wondering if Hermione had been replaced by her evil duplicate was the fact that she still had her nose pressed against her dex, scanning through the course pages while the rest of her classmates talked and gossiped.

"This is very weird," Harry said.

"Maybe us giving her the cold shoulder made her brain snap and she's now become a crazy stalker killer who will hunt us down one by one and kill us in our dreams while wearing a hideous sweater!" When Harry and Neville merely stared at Ron the red head's eyes went wide. "By Merlin, I think Luna and I swapped souls there for a moment!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Luna... Luna!" Ginny exclaimed, shaking her friend. The little blondes eyes had rolled into the back of her head, leaving only her whites visible, and she was rocking back and forth, muttering about how the Tor Town Tauros' would finally win the championship.

~MC~MC~MC~

The boys took their seats, with Neville joining Hermione while Ron and Harry shared a table next to theirs. Hermione merely smiled at Neville before going back to her dex. In front of them Lavender and Parvati continued to gab on, though it was clear that having Hermione actually sitting behind them was throwing the girls off.

"So, what do you think Remus... I mean Prof. Lupin... will teach us?"

"Not sure," Harry said. "He wouldn't even give me a hint, as he felt that it would ruin the surprise."

"Even if he gave you every answer it wouldn't help you, Potter," Draco said with a laugh as he strolled past them, Crabbe and Goyle in their ever present positions as his bookends. "Certain people in this world are meant to rise up while the rest stay in the filth."

"I've always felt the same way," Harry said with a dark little smile. There was no need to finish his thought, as it was clear to everyone just what Harry was hinting at.

"Watch yourself, Potter," Draco snapped. "You insulted the honor of the Malfoy family and a Malfoy always repays his debts."

"I thought the Lannister's always repaid their debts?" Ron said before looking at Harry with wide eyes. "Oh Merlin, I did it again!"

"We'll get Luna and perform an exorcism later," Harry stated, turning his attention away from a fuming Draco. Harry could practically hear the blond's teeth grinding and in that moment Harry discovered that of all the things he could do to him... being ignored was the best way to counter Draco.

The 'Prince of Slytherin' opened his mouth, ready to fire off another insult, but quickly changed his mind when he saw Remus enter. Instead Draco merely scowled impotently at Harry before marching over and taking his seat.

"Good afternoon, class!" Remus said happily, removing his lab coat and draping it over his chair. "Now then, welcome to Year Three of Battle Class. During your first year you learned all about the basics of battling. Last year you... were supposed to learn about elemental typing and the various weaknesses and strengths." Remus scowled slightly and much of the class squirmed at that. It had been fun to have Lockhart giving them easy As and telling them wild adventures (even if all of them had happened to other people and the showboat had stolen them all for himself). But now that they were a year older and dealing with a professor who clearly knew what he was doing the class realized that they might be in trouble. Oh, there were a few that would do ok; Hermione had known all about typing before even stepping into the classroom, Draco had private tutors that made sure he was already ahead of his classmates, and Harry had spent the summer getting caught up by Remus. But for the likes of Dean and Seamus and Pansy and Crabbe they were in for a world of hurt and knew it. They knew the basics, like the fire-grass-water cycle, but how steel types did against poison?

Remus casually reached down and unbuttoned his cuffs before rolling up his sleeves past the elbows. The rest of the class was surprised by how casual Remus was but Harry knew all too well that such actions were all part of Remus' charm. He was a natural teacher and Harry knew that had it not been for the depression and survivor's guilt he'd felt during the war Remus would have become a professor at Hogwarts. Harry grinned and leaned forward a bit, excited to see what Remus was going to be showing them.

"This year we are going to learn about another aspect of battling that can greatly affect the outcome of your battles: Abilities." Remus clicked a button on his desk and the board behind him flickered before showing several cutie, cartoony drawings of different Pokémon. One image depicted a Mankey touching a Pikachu. An arrow pointed to the next picture, which showed a smiling Pikachu and a clearly distressed Mankey surrounded by lightning bolts. "It has only been within the last century that scientists realized that all Pokémon have at least one ability. It took that long because many abilities were assumed merely to be quirks of the Pokémon species. For example, Slaking."

Remus clicked to another slide, this one showing a Slaking punching a Camrupt and the Slaking's trainer cheering him on. The next image had the trainer not so happy as he was staring at a sleeping Slaking. "They have an ability called Slaking Off that causes them to swing between bouts of extreme battle frenzy and utter slothfulness. It was only when scientists began to experiment with the Pokémon Audino and her move Simple Beam and attempted to artificially create it that it was realized that this wasn't by choice but a part of their genetics. Slaking might not want to become lazy after an attack but their natural will causes them to do so.

"By understanding the abilities of our Pokémon we can better prepare for battles. Some abilities are quite obvious and are quickly seen; any Pokémon that affects the weather, for instance. Others are quite subtle and a person might not ever even use the ability." Remus clapped his hands together. "Alright, who can tell me of an ability their Pokémon has?"

Hermione, to Harry's shock, did not raise her hand but instead chose to simply sit there and let others have a chance to shine. Ron glanced over at Harry and it was clear he was just as surprised by this turn of events as Harry was.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"My Servine has the Overgrowth ability, which makes it much stronger when using grass type moves."

"Very good, 10 points to Slytherin. Now, how about a Gryffindor? Yes, Mr. Longbottom."

"My Flabebe has the Flower Veil Ability."

Remus nodded. "Good, good! Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, some of you might not know your Pokémon's' abilities and that is ok. Your homework will be to compose a list of the abilities of each of your Pokémon and what they do. You'll also want to begin thinking about how these abilities can help you as we will be focusing on that in the upcoming days." Remus smiled, letting his students note their homework assignment in their dexs before continuing. "Now, for the rest of this class period we are going to get a demonstration of a Pokémon ability and how it can affect your battle."

Remus snapped his figures and his Zorua, Mooney, leapt up onto his desk. It was clear from the way the little fox Pokémon held himself that he enjoyed being the center of attention. Those students who'd never seen Remus' Zorua up close leaned forward a bit, wanting to get a better look at the dark-type. Mooney, for his part, merely trotted up and down the desk, nose high in the hair as he gave a strut that would make any supermodel jealous.

"Now, most Zorua's have the special ability known as Illusion, which allows them to take on the appearance of a Pokémon in the opponent's party. However, Mooney here, as he is from the rarer Avalon strain, has a different ability." Remus paused for a moment for dramatic effect before continuing. "His ability is known as Mind Games but would probably be better described as an upgraded version of Illusion. You see, rather than taking a form based on a Pokémon your trainer owns, Mooney created the illusion that he has become something that the opponent fears or becomes cautious around. This unnerves Pokémon and trainers and allows Zorua to either escape or attack. Over the next two days we are going to have each of you encounter Zorua's ability so you understand it better and learn how to work through it."

Remus tapped his chin. "Now, I think that we should mix things up a bit and start in the back of the class and work our way forward. Miss Granger, you can start."

Hermione smiled and happily made her way towards the front of the class. Harry and Ron glanced at each other and both mentally wondered how Hermione had known that Remus would go through the class that way; there wasn't a doubt in either of their minds that Hermione had somehow known and that was the reason she had chosen to not sit up front.

"Alright now it is important Miss Granger that you remember that, no matter how realistic Mooney's illusion is, it isn't real. You have to fight through it and see things for how they really are. If I think it is taking you too long I will break the illusion myself."

"I'm ready," Hermione said with a nod.

Mooney nodded and leapt down from the table; but it wasn't a Zorua that landed on the floor in front of Hermione. Instead, to the shock of the class, what rose up was a massive, 7-foot tall purplish monster that was a cross between a dragon and a shark. The creature took a step forward, teeth the length of Hermione's fingers bared as the creature took a quick step forward, startling everyone with its speed. It seemed so strange to have a monster so big be so quick on its feet.

Hermione's eyes went to pinpricks and she pressed herself against Remus' desk, body trembling in horror. Her breath was ragged and came out in short bursts that made her chest rapidly rise and fall. Of course, none of the rest of the class was faring any better; all of them were staring at the land shark with horror-filed eyes.

"Enough," Remus said and the creature seemed to shatter like ice, revealed Mooney standing before them all. "It's ok," Remus said, placing his hand on Hermione's should and trying not to wince at the way she flinched at his touch. "It wasn't real."

"Thought I could do it. Should have stuck with the original," Hermione mumbled to herself. Harry wasn't sure what she meant by that but didn't have time to ponder that thought as his attention was drawn back to Remus.

"Miss Granger, do you at least know the name of that Pokémon."

She mutely nodded before finding her voice. "Garchomp."

"Good. Five points to Gryffindor. Go take your seat."

Draco let out a scoff and said in a voice that he thought was low enough to keep Remus from hearing, but clearly wasn't, "Of course the little frightened Skitty gets points... if it weren't for the generosity of professors they would never get any points!" Draco turned to his hangers-on and sneered. "And a Garchomp? How pathetic. Leave it to someone of her ilk to be frightened by a Pokémon rather than control and dominate it!"

Remus merely raised an eyebrow and Harry found himself squirming. He knew that look well and even if it weren't directed at him it made him shiver just a touch. Remus never yelled or screamed, nor would he give someone the silent treatment or a cold shoulder. No, Remus' favorite tactic was to use your own hubris against you and leave you twitching and flailing. In order to build up Harry's muscle mass and get him to the level a boy his age should be at Remus had pushed for him to begin running and working out. Early on Harry had complained about not wanting to spend his time jogging about and Remus' response had been to duct tape him to a chair and leave him facing a bare wall for 3 hours.

Harry had never complained again about going on a nice jog and working off his excess energy.

Moving to the side, Remus waved towards Mooney, a smile on his lips but his eyes as hard as diamonds. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, by all means, give it a try." The blond Slytherin nodded and strolled up front, his gait full of cocky swagger and attitude. It was clear to Harry that Draco thought this an easy test and one he would beat with ease. The boy never considered for a moment that he might find it a challenge. Harry and Ron shared a look before leaning forward, wanting to see just what Pokémon Mooney became.

But instead of a Lucario or an Aerodactyl or some other Pokémon Mooney took on a shape that was familiar to all the students.

"Draco, you are such a disappointment," Mooney said in Lucius Malfoy's voice. Draco's eyes instantly went wide and he took a step back as the illusion that wore his father's face took a step forward, his thin lips purses together as he looked the boy over with a critical eye. "You are a Malfoy, the most noble house in all of Avalon and yet you continue to disgrace our family's name. You aren't smart enough or quick enough or powerful enough." 'Lucius' gripped his cane in both hands till his knuckles were white. "We are supposed to be leaders among men but you couldn't lead Magikarps to water! Perhaps it is time to talk to your mother about producing a new heir-"

"No!" Draco screamed, falling to his knees. "Please father, I..." his words trailed off as Mooney's illusion faded away. Remus merely stood there, silent, as the blond scowled, realizing he'd made a fool of himself in front of the entire class. He stalked back to his desk, ignoring the sniggers coming from the Gryffindors.

"Now, as I was going to say after Miss Granger's failed attempt... do not be surprised if you fail this first time. Shaking off a Pokémon Ability takes great determination and will be something that must be learned. Once you learn to shake of Mooney's ability you will find yourself better enabled you to deal with over, weaker abilities. The same holds true for your Pokémon: the stronger your bond the better chance they'll have of breaking through an ability or status condition."

Remus continued on, making small comments as he ran through the class. For Neville Mooney took on the form of Snape and though the boy trembled at the sight several Gryffindors snickered at the over-the-top performance 'Snape' gave. Remus decided that he didn't want to leave any table half done and had Pansy go next; for her Mooney became a shiny Charizard. Ron's was expected: a Galvantula that resembled Aragog.

Harry swallowed as he was called on. The walk up to the front of the class made him feel like a condemned man approached the gallows and even though he'd lived with Mooney for two summers now the trickster fox Pokémon suddenly looked all the more sinister watching him approach. While several of the students were still stifling giggles and thinking the entire exercise was like a thrill park ride with simulated scares, Harry knew that what he was about to experience wouldn't feel like a roller coaster or tilts-a-whirl.

Mooney's image shimmered slightly as he created the illusion and Harry blinked in confusion as the Pokémon became a double of Remus. It was the duplicate's words that confirmed just why Mooney had chosen that form.

"That's the form Mooney took?" 'Remus' declared. "Why would he... unless... no... Harry, how could you? How could you hide this from me? How? I... I trusted you! I let you into my house and you go behind my back-"

It was Harry's worst fear: Remus discovering the truth.

"Enough!" Remus snapped, Mooney instantly shattering the illusion. The little fox Pokémon ambled over to Harry's shaking form and whimpered, clearly trying to apologize. The boy managed a watery smile but it was clear his heart wasn't into it. "Alright, I think that is enough for today. For homework I want you to write down the ability of one of you Pokémon, what that ability does and one example of how you might use that ability to your advantage during a battle." The students gathered up their things but as Harry turned towards the door he found Remus moving to block his path. "Just a moment, Mr. Potter."

To harry it seemed to take forever for the rest of the class to leave. On one hand he was thankful for that, as it delayed the conversation Remus clearly wanted to have but Harry wished to avoid like a bad skin rash. On the other hand he found the waiting to be torture and wished silently that time would speed up and he could just find out what Remus had to tell him. He forced himself not to fidget or squirm, knowing that such little twitches would only let Remus know quicker how uncomfortable Harry truly was.

"Harry," Remus said, nearly causing the boy to jump as he was pulled out of his fearful musings. Motioning for him to sit down, Remus sat on one of the tables and sighed. "Listen, I get that this whole situation is a teen's worst nightmare. Merlin knows if my father had been a teacher as Hogwarts... I'd probably have avoided James and Sirius all together. I got in enough trouble with the things my father found out about... the things that remain secrets?" Remus shuddered slightly at the thought and Harry found himself smiling. "The point is that I know you are going to get up to things that I might not want you too... but I don't want you to think that if I find out you've been sneaking out after curfew or eating too many donuts at breakfast that I'll treat you any different than if I'd found out via Prof. McGonagall. Just because I am a teacher doesn't mean that I will teach guardian stuff like Prof. Snape would."

Harry let out a sigh of relief and quickly thanked Remus. He counted his blessings that Remus thought all Harry was worried about was being caught for a prank or for breaking the rules.

But even though he felt relief that his secret had been found out a seed of dread remained deep within him. He couldn't keep everything hidden forever and all he could do was pray that when everything was revealed that Remus would keep his word.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Note: I debated on the cutaway to Luna but decided it was just too funny not to include.

Mind Games is an upgrade of Illusion. In game it would cause Zorua to unnerve the opponent, decreasing that Pokémon's accuracy and making running away 100% achievable.

I know that Hermione's boggart is believed to be failure but I decided to give her something more solid to be scared of. Why she is frightened by Garchomps will be dealt with.


End file.
